P3: The story of Kei Kazuki
by Sage's stories
Summary: Follow the story of a young man named, Kei Kazuki. A boy who was transferred to live in a dorm in, "Iwatodai"; so he can attend "Gekkoukan high." He'll have to fight in a unknown hour called, "The dark hour" so he can protect his friends, from the shadows and other vile threats, in this game between two gods.
1. Small beginnings

On route to Port island,

"*Sigh* How much longer am I gonna be riding on trains," I questioned, tired and exhausted. How long has it been since I left home; hours? No, maybe it was longer than that. ...I don't know...

Oh, before I forget, I'm Kei Kazuki, age: 16. Job: Unemployed, reasons: well...I like to keep that a secret. Other than that, I'm an average run-of-the-mill teenage boy. (Obviously...)

Originally, I went to school at **St. Hermelin high** , which is located in the city of **Mikage-cho**. Apparently, there was a big conspiracy with an old company called " **SEBEC"** , and their branch president - **Takahisa Kandori**. Ever since then, the city had a bad reputation for being haunted by evil spirits. But its just stupid superstition.

Last January, I was told that I would be transferred to a different school and city. A city called "Iwatodai"; a city that is run by the Kirijo group... I think?

I have to wonder though, why was I getting transferred to this type of place. The school that I would be transferring to is **Gekkoukan high** ; the place is a private school- Actually, let me emphasize that; PRIVATE...SCHOOL! (It's crazy!)

"*Sigh* How was HE able to get me into that type of school?" My cousin, Naoya Toudou is what you would call "a very mysterious person sometimes". But in the end, he's always been there when I needed someone...

"Now arriving at Tatsumi Port Island. Please take care to board before our departure." "Finally!"

I got off the train and onto the platform, for a brief moment I imagined myself taking off a pair shades to reveal what's behind the glasses, but unfortunately, I forget my sunglasses, and I only have prescribed glasses that I don't wear often. (Even though I should wear them more often.)

Before I exited the station, I look at the time on my phone. "11:59 P.M. Huh, well, I know one thing - I'm late!" I started to run like a bat out of hell, but then something weird happened while I was running.

"Whoa!" *crash* "Oww that hurt, how did I fall?" I ask my self just before seeing why. "B-b-blood! " I started to panic.

"AHHHHH!" I started searching my body to see if I was bleeding anywhere. To my relief, I didn't have any wounds. "Where the hell did it come from, then?" *Drip* "Huh, what the?" I felt something drop on my forehead... I swiped something off my head. "*Gasp*" The thing that dropped on my head was blood! "Ahh, what the hell is this!?" I ran away from the station and through the blood-soaked streets. I was running towards the place that I would be staying at; I'm supposed to be staying in a dorm for the remainder of my high school years. I guess you can say, its a home away from home, right?

Iwatodai dormitory,?

"*Pant* *Pant* I seem to have *Pant* arrived at the dormitory." That word has a weird ring to it.

I started to slowly open the door. (Totally not because I'm nervous or anything.) Although, before opening it fully, I heard someone talking. "Oh crap, it must be the R.A. Maybe I should wait outside just to be safe."

No, I don't see that working out well in the end. "So, I'll just peak in from the entrance to see who's there..."

Lo and behold I only see... One person? Huh, that's weird, I thought I heard another person?

"Who's there." "Holy shit!" I thought they noticed me there for a minute. I poke my head in the second time. I find a girl with auburn hair standing firmly; wow, she's pretty.

I analyze the situation and it looks like she has something in her hand. It appears to be... "...A GUN!" What the hell is going on!? Why is this day so damn weird; first the blood all over the street, and now this!

But nonetheless, it seems like that guy is in danger. Hmm, I wonder what he did wrong, maybe he cheated on her? The situation started to escalate. "I guess I have no choice, I have to step in and help!" So with that being said, I did what I thought was appropriate. I started to power up, and then... "Please don't shoot!" "Huh?"

I must have been cursed because right when I made my grand entrance I tripped on something and then went rolling like a bowling ball. I was trying to get up but everything in my body was sort of in pain. (And spinning, did I mention spinning?)

"Takeba wait," This new arrival sounded serious and confused at the same time; I think she's confused because of me, strangely laying on the floor. I tried to get up and play it off.

"Listen, lady, whatever happened between you and your boyfriend is both of your business, but I'm sure the both of you can just talk it out." Right after I said that the crazy gun lady replied back in an embarrassed and angered way... "WHA- HE'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND!" "So-sorry!" She's scary...!

After that, the lights came on and everything was quiet, regardless of my sudden outburst to break the tension in the room.

"...Am I late?"

The red-haired girl started to descend the stairs. Her arms were crossed, the way she walked said royalty. Well, in that case, I should introduce my self first before the blunett can. "Hi, I'm **Kei Kazuki** , wait no that's not proper, I'm Kazuki Kei."

The red-haired girl spoke... "I didn't expect you two to arrive so late."

"Really, well, in that case, I'm very sorry!" the blunett sounds very apologetic. "I'm Mitsuru Kirijo; I'm one of the students who live in this dorm." The blunett began to introduce himself. "I'm Makoto Yuki, it's very nice to meet you." "Is it okay for them to stay here?" "I guess we'll see." Why wouldn't it be?

"This is Yukari Takeba, she's a second year just like you two."

Yukari Takeba, huh. Well, how about this "Yuka-chan!" I think they heard me. Well, I mean it doesn't sound like a bad nickname. I always try to nickname someone in a good way, but if she doesn't like it I could change it to something else. Maybe "Yuks," no that sounds stupid. hmm, how about, "Take-chan"?

"Um, hello? I'm supposed to show you to your room, now." I snapped out of my own train of thought after Yuka-chan spoke to me. Needless to say, I was blushing...a lot. "What, umm, s-sure." I blushed, even more, when I made eye contact. Hopefully, nobody noticed...

We ascended the stairs to the second floor, apparently, the second floor was where all the boys live and the third floor was where all the girl stayed in. In the end, Yuka-chan guided us to the rooms we will be living in for the next while. After Yuka-chan gave me keys to the room, I opened the door to my room. I saw all the stuff that I had transported here but I didn't care about unpacking right now, all I cared about is sleeping off this weird day.

"I slipped on blood for crying out loud! It might never come off!" After changing out of my clothes and into something more comfier. And before I knew it, all my worries slowly start to go away, as well as the stress...

Right when I plopped on to the bed, I basked in the softness of the great and all mighty bed. I guess now this is my room...away from my room. No, that sounded weird... Eh screw it, I'll be living here for a while, anyway until I'm done with high school. I make this out to be bad but yet... "This could be awesome!" I was thinking about the possibilities of being a new student in another city where nobody knows me; this can be more than awesome! *Smirk* "In that case, goodbye, Mikage-Cho; hello Iwatodai!"

Suddenly, my phone began to go off. I checked to see who it was. "Hello?" _"Kei, did you make it there safely?"_ The voice on the other was Naoya. "Yeah, I was able to get here safely, but I was pretty late." _"Did you find the trains as we practiced?"_ "Yes, but there was a delay for some reason, so it had me panicking because I didn't know where to go and then I-" _"Calm down Kei, you did great on your own."_ "T-thank you." I almost had several heart attacks while getting here. "But hey, are you sure you can pay for me to go here? I mean I don't mind going to-"

 _"It's okay, I can pay for your tuition there. So don't worry about it..."_ I trusted Naoyas' judgment on these types of things so I'll roll along with it. But to be honest, I'm glad I can go to a different school now, and live in a different city.

 _"Well, it's pretty late so you should get some rest, tomorrow you'll need the mental strength."_ "Maybe, you should know the first day is easiest." _"Maybe, but it's a privet school so you might be in for a surprise. So get some sleep."_ "Okay, I will..." _"And Kei."_ "Yeah?" Naoya paused for a moment. _"I hope you're able to make some friends while you're there."_ "I'll try. Seeya." _"Bye."_

I hung up on Naoya and I put my chest. I'll be a while until I see Naoya again and that made me kind of sad, homesick even... "Naoya... Will he be lonely without me," I jokingly told myself. "Because I know I will be..." Naoya is like my best friend, the guy I can count on, but now, I'm miles away from him. This is a real issue...

"Well Naoya, guess I'll just have to roll on with it, or something in those lines."


	2. Gekkoukan high school

I felt the sun hitting my face, it must be morning Then why do I feel so sluggish? Oh right, I was watching movies until 4 A.M. in the morning.

"Hello, Kei-kun, are you awake? I'm supposed to show you and Makoto-kun how to get to school." "I think I can get there by myself." I read the compact I had of this city on how to get to the school from here. "...On time of course," she retorted. "Ha, funny joke." "I know, right?" Yuka-chan has a bit of a bite to her sass I see. But enough about who can throw some playful insults, what matters right now is me getting dressed for my first day...

"I'll be out in a minute." "Okay, just don't take too long." "Okay..."

Now let me take you on a little run-through on how I'll be wearing my Gekkoukan uniform.

First: I put on the dress shirt and pants (obviously), but I'll keep the dress shirt untucked.

Next: I put on my own hoodie; I loveD this hoodie because it combines two colors that go well together, Black and Red. Plus it was a very special gift from Naoya. Finally but not least: I put on the Gekkoukan uniform jacket without buttoning it up. Now, the set-piece has been completed.

"Welp, time to head on out. I'm leaving Naoya." Wait, I don't live with Naoya anymore. You know what they say: old habits die hard. Before I shut the door, I do my little habit one last time. "I'm leaving Naoya, see you later." I shut the door to my room and I try to catch-up to Yuka-chan and Makoto-kun.

Gekkoukan High, morning

Thankfully, I was able to catch up to them in time. Man, I would've been in a lot of trouble if I didn't, because the map I had was totally wrong. After seeing a beautiful scenery while on the train ride, we finally arrived at Gekkoukan high. I thought this place would be bigger and fancier but it pretty much looked like St. Hermelin high.

Although, can't say I'm not nerves... I didn't say a word until Yuka-chan suddenly raised her voice loud enough to break through my deep thinking... "Well, welcome to Gekkoukan high, do you guys have any questions?" "No," Makoto-kun said. "No," I respond in a quick and nervous manner. I mean if anyone were going to a new school and they had no idea what it was like, they would be nervous too.

"What class am I in Yuka-chan?" "I don't know, maybe you should check the announcement board. "Yeah, I think I should do that. Thanks for the suggestion."

I speed-walked towards the board with all the student placements. I was looking for my name... "Aaaand, found me!" Apparently, I'm in class: 2-E. ...That doesn't sound bad.

I went to the faculty office to meet my homeroom teacher, Mr. Ekoda. For the most part, he's quite a stern person, not really the type of teacher to try and bond with. While he was scolding me (for some reason), he told me to go to the auditorium for an assembly. While I was trying to do so, one of my greatest fears had just happened; I got lost! I started panicking for the fear of me getting in trouble. So I thought about going back to the faculty office again so I can ask someone where to go...

Just before I started to descend the stairs, I bumped into someone. *Thump*

Great going me, now someone's about to go tumbling down a flight of stairs if I don't do anything! I immediately grabbed the person's wrist before they hit the stairs. The person's' wrist is slim and it felt a bit softer than a guy's wrist. When I pulled them away from the stairs, I was able to get a clear look at the person I just saved from certain injury. ...And when I saw who it was, it explained why the person's wrist was so different from a guy's...

"Umm...ah...tha-thank you! I should have been more thoughtful of where I was walking, I'm very sorry!" "..." Incredible, for a minute there l thought she was gonna tell me to "watch where you're going" or the classic, "can't you see!?" (And by the way, of course I can see, DUH!) But instead, she says it's her fault.

"No, it's not yours, it was mine. I shouldn't have been running around in a panic like an idiot." In a panic. Oh crap, I forgot, I have to get to the auditorium! I immediately started to realize that I still have no Idea where the auditorium is! WAIT, I think this girl right here knows where the auditorium is; and if she does know where it's at, then that means I got a lucky break.

"Umm...excuse me, I think its almost time for the assembly to start." "Crap, really, well, in that case, we should get going before anyone thinks we're cutting." "Your right... W-Well then, we should get going." "Yeah... I don't know where it's at. Can you help me," I asked sheepishly. "Are you new here," the girl questioned. "Yes, so I don't really know the way." She fiddled with her thumbs for a second. She was sure fired to say no any minute now "You don't need to, I'm sure I can find it on my own." "No, I can take you there." "Really, that's awesome." I was so relieved to have her help...

As we walked to our destination, I had almost forgotten something important. I should ask for her name.

"So, hey, if it isn't too much to ask, can I know your name?" she was looking at me with her face flushed. Why was she blushing? "Oh...y-yes, I guess we should introduce ourselves to each other."

"I'm **Fuuka Yamagishi** , nice to meet you." Fuuka Yamagishi, hmm... "I'm Kei Kazuki, but you can just call me Kei." I stretched my hand out for a handshake. Naoya always said giving a handshake was the best way to start off a friendship. She took grasp of my hand, hers were soft, not callus like mine. "...I think we should be on our way to the auditorium now." "Oh, you're right, we should get a move on." We made our way to the auditorium. I was glad that someone was nice enough to guide me to the auditorium.

We later arrived at the auditorium on time. I was glad that I was escorted here by Miss Yamagishi. I wonder if I can see her again...?

Gekkoukan high, 2-E, Morning

I went to my newly stationed classroom and when I opened the door 2-E, what I saw next made me think today was my lucky day...

I'm in this school for more than an hour and I already found a familiar face. I take my seat behind Fuuka-san, I'm pretty sure she didn't see me because I came through the back of the class. I guess you can say I'm a natural born ninja. (Okay, that was terrible.)

Shitty jokes aside, I don't know if I should just either tell her that I'm in the same class as her. Or maybe I could surprise her while Mr. Ekoda is taking attendants. Yeah, that would be a cool idea. I think I should surprise her. Nah, that just makes no sense...

Mr. Ekoda was taking attendance attendants in rows; from his right to his left. After Fuuka's row was done, mine was next. Two others in my row, next to the window were called on. I was wondering what I should say, "good morning?" "Hello, this is the guy to nearly knock you down a flight of stairs." Everything in my head just sounds either forced or just plain stupid.

"Kazuki Kei," Mr. Ekoda called my name, making me snap out of my thoughts "Wha-- Um, here." Fuuka turned her head, and to her surprise it was me. I'm glad that she actually remembered who I am but now I feel sort of embarrassed...

Gekkoukan high, class: 2-E, Lunch

At the beginning of break, Fuuka looked over to me.

"Kazuki-kun, I didn't know we would be in the same classroom." "Yeah, sure is a coincidence, huh. Although, I wished I didn't sound like I was dosing off. I'm sure Mr. Ekoda wasn't too pleased with that." I'd never had bee more afraid of a teacher with the eyes of wanting to throw a chalk stick at someone.

"Hmm..." "What is it Kazuki-kun," Fuuka-san asked. "Ya know, you don't really need to use the -kun or -san suffix. Just call me Kei." "But, I just find it sort of disrespectful not to address someone's name with it." So she's old-fashioned, huh. I'm used to not being named with a suffix. Well, why not start now.

"I see... Alright then from now on, I'm Kazuki-kun, however, you need a nickname, sound fair?" "Mhm," Fuuka nodded. "Let me think... Got it. Your nickname is~"

Okay enough with the delay.

 **"Fu-chan!** " "I, um...don't mind it at all," Fuuka responded in a rather shy, but in a cute way.

"Nice, you - Fu-chan - gain exclusive access to call me Kazuki-kun, by the way, you can gain better access to call me other names like Kazuki-chan, and so much more." After that comment, Fu-chan giggled lightly. That was the best of my amusement tricks I can muster and it seems to have worked...

"Hey, you know where I can get something to eat? Starving like crazy." Haven't really eaten much besides what Naoya packed me for lunch yesterday. "It should be downstairs bit they only sell bread." "Is it good," I asked as if it mattered. "It gas a different flavor from normal bread." "Good enough for me!"

Rising from my seat, I went straight for the door out of the classroom... "You want to tag along," I excitedly asked. "Um, okay. I did want to buy something from there."

After getting some bread and milk for lunch and eating at our desks, I felt like a new man; a man who survived through a desert. For some reason, eating with a friend felt pretty great to me; something that I can enjoy... "Kazuki-kun," Fu-chan lightly called my name. "What's up?" "Um, I was wondering, do you have time after school to hang out?" Her face immediately flushed after asking. "I o-only want to get to know you better, that's it!" "You didn't really need to clarify. Hanging out is hanging out." "I suppose you're right." "...And I would love to," I gratefully accepted her offer. I felt this urge to smile like crazy. I was going to hang out with someone after school, and it felt awesome!

Soon after the bell rung, Fu-chan turned her desk back around. Class began again, and all I could think about how great my first day of school was here...

"Naoya, I think I just made my first friend..."

I was finally able to make a friend. Thank you, Kazuki-kun...


	3. Life's cruelty

Iwatodai Dormitory, Lounge, Evening

I arrived back at the dorm after spend some time with Fu-chan after school. It was pretty fun to hang out with someone after school, almost too fun!

"Welcome back." "Sup, Mitsu-chan." "I hope your first day wasn't too bad." "Nah, the opposite really, the school is great." I gave a thumbs up. "Well, I'm glad the school is to your liking. Also, I told Yuki this but I can not allow any of you to leave the dorm at night." "How come," I asked. "There are many dangerous things in the city, so it would be wise to just stay in at night." "I see... Okay, thanks for the advice."

I saw Makoto-fun sitting at the kitchen table with Yuka-chan. I think I should and talk to them...

"Mind if I sit here," I asked the both of them. "Not at all," Yuka-chan told me. "Thanks." I took a seat next to Makoto-kun. "So, how was your first day," Yuka-chan asked me. "Pretty great is all I have to say." "Cool, I usually just hear from my friends it sucks or it's boring. Not like it's untrue, but come on three times in a row?" Yuka-chan ranted. "I heard you were popular around the place, including with the boys~" I snickered. "Oh god, you sound like someone I know." "You mean **Junpei** ," Yuki said. "Yep, like him." "Who's Junpei," I asked. "Junpei is an idiot who belongs in our class. Not really worth mentioning." That's pretty harsh of her to say.

"I thought he was okay," Makoto told Yuka-chan. "Maybe to you, but I swear, that guy is nothing but a creep..." "Creep is a bit too much... Maybe a bit too energetic." "Energetic most definitely. A pervert, do I even need to go?" Yukari waved her hand around... "Point is: Junpei is a weirdo and you should be lucky you aren't him." "I have no idea what this Junpei guy is like, but he sure did piss Yuka-chan off. "...I'm going to my room, good night guys." "Night," I waved goodbye...

"You know, I don't think we really talked before Kazuki-kun," Makoto-kun said to me. "Yeah, guess we didn't. I'm Kei Kazuki, bet you already knew that though." "'Yeah, but might as well introduce myself anyway, I'm Makoto Yuki, nice to meet you." Makoto stuck out his hand, I take grasp of it with mine...

"So, what class are you in Makoto?" "2-F, along with Yukari and Junpei. You?" "2-E, hey, mine is right next to yours." "Go figure..." I thought because of his looks that he would be hard to talk to, but he's a pretty easy guy to talk to... Now that I think about it, we both got to the dorm at a late time, and when I did, there was that strange world where everything was green and there were coffins and blood all over the place. I had a feeling he saw it too, so maybe I should ask.

"Makoto." "Yes?" "Um, this might sound weird, but the night when you got to the dorm, did you-" A phone began to go off It was Makoto's... "Sorry, but I need to take this, maybe we can pick up on this later," Makoto told me. He put the phone to his ear and went off to the stairs...

"*Sigh* I might as well go to my room then."

I went over to the stairs, when I did I saw a guy I haven't seen before. He was wearing a red vest, he also has white hair. He took a quick glance at me, the glance was enough for me to flinch a bit. Does that guy live in the dorm...?

I unlocked the door to my room and all I saw were a bunch of boxes that I left unpacked. Let's change that...

"Aaaand done." Finally, I finished unpacking and decorating my room. I had put my manga on the desktop and some posters with idols on them on the wall. The most important mementos of home was a photo with Naoya and me at the Tokyo Dome. I place the photo on top of the desk as well, Now only one more thing left to do; sleep.

I change out of my school uniform and into my pajamas before heading to bed.

"Today was a great day. Everything about this day went right, and the facts pile up. First: I meet Fuuka Yamagishi, secondly: I'm in the same classroom as Fu-chan, which in its itself awesome! Then we became friends. Everything is coming out Kazuki!"

I lay down on the bed, I feeling like my life here will be a lot better than it was in Mikage-cho... With that being said.

"Kei Kazuki, you will be tested soon, so get plenty of rest for this test will judge your potential and your capabilities. Please make it out of this alive, for everyone's sake... And yours..."

Iwatodai Dormitory, Morning

I suddenly jolted off my back-side. While I was trying to understand what I was a dreaming about I had realized something else. It was morning! "Oh, crap it's morning! Wait, how long was I asleep for?" I swear that It felt like a couple minutes. Wait, does that mean that- "Crap! I'm probably late!

I jump right on the bed immediately after realizing this. I need to get to school, quickly!

I rushed out of the dorm with both my uniform jacket and my regular hoodie, both of which are not on yet...

Gekkoukan high, Morning

I made it to Gekkoukan... So far everyone seems to be trying to get to class. Good, that's good...

I walked into my classroom, looking like a mess; my jacket wasn't on yet because I was in a rush. "Good morning, Kazuki-kun. Why do you have your School jacket-" "Had to rush on over here, thought I was late." "Well, school doesn't start until 7:58, so you would be fine before then," Fu-chan stated. "Oh, okay. You're smart," I complimented. "Thank you, but everyone knows that. It's common knowledge." I felt as if someone called me a dumbass from afar.

The school bell began to ring throughout the school. "Slave hour," I stated. "Why would you say that," Fu-chan asked. "Duh, school is a slave driver, so that's why you got boys and girls despairing before class. Thus, a mindset that plagues many students." After my little explanation, Fu-chan giggled a little...

"Hm?" That's strange, I felt something staring at us. Maybe it was just me.

Class started with a bore and ended with one, but it didn't matter since I had dozed off a couple minutes in. Fu-chan was getting ready to leave. Just when I was about to talk to her, three other girls began moving towards her. I wonder who they are?

"Hey, Fuuka, can you come with us for a minute," a dark-skinned girl asked. "Um, I can't, because I'm, umm... Hanging out with my friend today." Fu-chan seemed uncomfortable near this girl. ...What the hell is going on? "Le-Lets go, Kazuki-kun." "Um, okay..."

I passed through the trio of girls, but before Fuuka made it pass through the other girls, I see one of the three girls stick their leg and then... "Ahh!" *Crash* What the hell!? "Fuuka!" I rush over to Fuuka to see if she's okay. So far, she's fine, save for the bruise on her head...

"Hey, are you okay?" "Ye-Yes, I'm...okay." She's lying, she could have split her head open on a desk like this. "What the hell is wrong with you!" "Nothing, my foot slipped." "Yeah right, your damn foot slipped my ass!" "What, she said her foot slipped, we're sorry~," The skinned one said with a smirk on her face. "You say sorry, Fuuka. My friend could have gotten hurt if you dragged her down with you." "No, that's not even true," I yelled. This woman was starting to grad on my nerves.

"Listen! I want you to leave her alone because she doesn't deserve this type of treatment, GOT IT!" "Fine, I understand, but guys like you trying to act tough is cute..."

This woman, it's like she didn't listen to a single thing I said. Nonetheless, the trio of girls left, good. I help Fuuka up from the floor. She looks like she's on the verge of tears. Damn it!

"Wait...where's my bag!?" "It's over-" It was gone. I didn't even need a couple of seconds to realize what happened to her bag.

"Come on, I know who might have taken it!"

We went down into the main hall and Fuuka's bag near the entrance. it was soaked and it was also torn and beaten-up; Anything inside the bag is probably soaked to the bone...

"That son of a bi-" "Kazuki-kun, it's okay, I'm used to this." Unbelievable, that's all I can say about this. No, I'm not allowing her to say this is okay! Not a chance in hell!

"This isn't okay, this isn't okay at all! ...I don't like how they treat you! Not in the slightest! So don't you dare tell me it's okay...!"

Fuuka started to cry... I would probably think she doesn't want anyone seeing her cry; I know I would... So I take off my uniform jacket, so I can give her my hoodie. "*Sobbing* Why are you giving me this?" "So nobody will see you crying." "*Sobbing* Than-Thank you." "It's okay."

I escorted Fuuka back to her house. Unfortunately, I didn't pay too much attention to what her home looked like; I was too damn angry.

After we said goodbye to each-other, I went straight to the dorm. I didn't want to stop anywhere to eat, I felt sick.

...But I did stop somewhere though. I went to a supplies store to buy Fuuka a new bag and some new books, too (also, I bought some new utensils as well).

Iwatodai dormitory, evening

When I got to the dorm, I saw a grown man sitting on one of the arms rested seats. "Hello," said the grown man. "You must be one of the new students to be living in this dorm. I just got done talking to Yuki and Takeba, so you came just in time." "Oh well, can this wait for another time," I asked, I wasn't feeling for a conversation right now. "I do need to ask you questions, but if you aren't feeling up to it now, I suppose Mitsuru will have to ask the standard questions later." "Yeah, thanks..."

I left the lounge on the second floor...

When I unlock the door to my room and I opened my closet door, I got changed immediately so I could sleep this whole day off and get to school tomorrow.

"Wait, my hoodie!" I forgot to get my hoodie from Fuuka. Well... It's not like that's a bad thing. I'm pretty sure she'll bring it tomorrow.

I plop onto the bed, mostly angry and frustration. And with no time at all, I was knocked out...

Gekkoukan high, Morning

The next day I arrive at school with Fuuka's new materials in hand. I zipped right through the main hall to 2-E. I went into the classroom with no problem whatsoever. (Why would I even have problems getting into my own classroom?)

Seeing Fu-chan in her seat, I immediately head over to her so I can hand her all the replacement materials I bought for her yesterday. I placed it right on her desk.

"Hey, I bought you a new bag and some new textbooks, along with some utensils. So everything is good as new," I said while trying to present a smile to her. A surprised expression appears on Fu-chan's face, then a smile. Thank god I keep almost all the money that Naoya lent me. (Life savings is gone!)

"Kazuki-kun, you-" Mid-sentence Mr. Ekoda interrupted Fuuka, telling everyone to settle down... "Just tell me later, alright." "Okay..." I took my seat and I began to slouch in my seat. Fuuka gave me a piece of paper a minute later without Ekoda looking. _"Thank you", it read._ It brought a smile to my face...

Gekkoukan high, 2-E, Afternoon

Apparently one of the girls who was bullying Fuuka, **Natsuki Moriyama,** is in this classroom with us. Hell, she's even sitting right next to her. How didn't I notice before!? ...I really am stupid...

This morning's class was the same as always, but this afternoon's teacher was rather...weird. The teacher was talked about magic and different types of rituals that involved magic. I guess this school is all types of bizarre...

Gekkoukan high, Afterschool

It was finally the end of school... Almost in an instant, I got up and went over to Fuuka to see how she's doing.

"Kazuki-kun." "Yeah..." "Thank you for everything you did for me so far, if there's any way I can pay you back, I'll do it." "You don't need to, I'm just happy to know that I'm helping you, that's all." "But why?" "Huh, what do you mean," I asked in a puzzled "I mean, I do appreciate it, but why me? There must be far better girls than me?"

"Because...you're my very first friend, so, you're special to me." "Oh, my goodness." I see Fuuka blushing like its no one's business; it's rather...cute.

"I'm important...to you?" "Yes, as I said before: you're my very first friend, and you didn't call me an idiot when I nearly bumped you down a flight of stairs, even though it's my fault and I really have no problem if you do... You know, you're a pretty forgiving person, and that's why I think your pretty amazing Fu-chan."

Silence reigns over the area, that is until I broke the silence. "Um, wanna go home? I mean, can I walk you home, I mean," I stumbled upon my words. "Yes..." I smiled from her response and I gathered my things. I took her home, however, before I left from where she lived, I ask for her number and for her to bring my hoodie to school tomorrow. She agreed to return my hoodie tomorrow, and as for the number; I have it~

Everything felt right today, I went back to the dorm for today. I have a feeling life will start to get better and I thank Fuuka and Naoya for that. "...Well, time to make life a leaf and blow on home."

"Come over here *!" "..." There were a boy and a girl, it was hazy and I can't tell who they are. Despite me not being able to tell who they were, I felt as of it didn't matter who they were but where they were... The park looked familiar. It was...

Iwatodai dormitory, Kei Kazuki's room,?

"*Gasp*" I jumped off my back, gasping for air. That dream... It was so bizarre. It had a feeling to it, a warm and reminiscent feeling. *Rumbling* "Whoa, what the hell was that!?" I felt the building rumble, I got up from my bed in response.

Bang* *Bang* *Bang* "Kei-kun, please open up! We have to get out of here!" "What's going on, Yuka-chan?" "I'm sorry, but I'm coming in!" Yuka-chan began to open the door to my room. When did Yuka-chan have keys to my room; did Mitsu-chan give Yuka-chan a spear key to my room?

"Kei-kun, I'm gonna need you to follow Makoto and me to the roof! "Why for?" "...We already tried to escape from the building, but we couldn't! So that's why we're going to the roof!" "What's going on," I asked while stretching my arms. "I don't have time to explain, just-" Yukari was cut off when we heard glass breaking outside my room. "What was..." "Kei, we need to go, now!" Yuka-chan grabbed me by the sleeves of my jacket and dragged me out of my room, and upstairs...

Iwatodai dormitory, roof,?

When we got up to the roof, Yukari locked the door behind us...

"Okay, we should be safe here." "Safe from what, an earthquake?," I asked trying to grasp what's going on. When I was searching around, I realized that all the building lights aren't on anymore; no light was. "Everything's green, no lights... What's going on!?"

Thud* *Thud* *Thud* "What's that noise," I questioned. I began to walk toward the edge of the building. Before I can look down, a blue face popped up from below. "W-what in the..." Black hands grabbed on the ledge of the building. The mask was on a shadow, goo-like monster. "AHHHH!" I fell to my back in shock as the monster presented itself. Ran back towards the others...

"What is that thing!?" "Those are shadows," Yukari explained. "Both of you stand back!" Yukari put a gun to her head. "Are you crazy!? You point it at that thing!

fortunately, she's hesitant about pulling the trigger. All of a sudden, fire appeared out of nowhere. Yukari was sent flying towards the other end of this rooftop. "Yukari," I yelled. I went to go see if she was alright... She was still alive. The monster threw its sword towards us, I dodged out of the way of the attack, along with Yukari... Damn, I can't of anything else to do...

"Are we...going to die here?" I sink down to my knees in despair. "This is...where I die..."

During my despair induced state, I saw Makoto picking up the gun and putting it to his head. "Wait, don't!" "Per-so-na." *BANG*

And with that, a weird figure with a lyre on its back appeared. Persona... Why does that sound familiar?

" **Thou art I, I am thou. From the sea of thy soul** **; I cometh: I am Orpheus-Master of strings..."**

At first, it was breathtaking, but then something began to rip it apart from the inside, tearing it apart.

" ***Roar*** " "*screaming*" I was horrified by what I saw next. It was like a Grim Reaper came for this monster; it was wielding a large sword, it also had coffins behind it.

"What is that thing!?" It began smashing, tear, and slashing at the monster. By the end of it all, Makoto passed out, but not before saying, "Incredible".

" Is it...over?"

Stomp* "No way..." *Clank* "It's still..." *Clank* "ALIVE!"

The monster picked up its swords and began to crawl to us. How is it still moving, didn't that grim reaper looking thing kill it!?

The monster is heading towards Yukari and Makoto, I have to do something, but what can I do!? "The knife!"

I threw the knife right at the monster's head. *Stab* Yes, I hit the bulls-eye! Surely that did some damage. But to my surprise, it was still moving

"The hell, how is it still alive!?" It started coming over to me. I looked over to the door leading off the roof. I try to make a run for it, but the monster summoned fire out of nowhere again and it sent me flying into the wall next to the door. On impact, all the air inside my body was pushed out all at once

"*Groaning and panting* Come on... I'm almost there!" it's no use I can't move my body enough to make it for the door, it hurts too much.

The monster began to point its swords right at me. It lifted all the swords in the air. ...Is this how I"ll...die? On a rooftop!? Well, I guess it. doesn't mean much to me. I guess that's how it goes... But that doesn't stop me from pushing myself off the ground.

"*Groaning* You can't kill me, not an abomination like you, wanna know why?" I felt something burning, something rising from my body. "I don't have much, I might not have something extraordinary like Makoto does, in fact, I don't know what just happened, but I'm not dying here. That's for certain..."

I had this feeling, this feeling had power behind. I closed my eyes as the shadow swung its sword at me. The time was now, I didn't know why I thought this but I just knew something needed to happen.

 **"Persona!"**

Everything went quiet, then... *Thump*

The monster was on the edge of the building, trying to climb back up. I had done that, and I was certain of it. "Kei-kun, your Persona...!?" My Persona were only two arms that had no design to it whatsoever, they were darker than Makoto's Persona. "Wanna fight, fine. But I think this evens out the Plainfield..."

Immediately the shadow tries to kill me with all its swords. My Persona punches were fast enough and precise to hit the shadow hands, making it drop its swords. "Oh yeah!" I pumped my fist into the air. The shadow got up again, squirming over to me. "All right, round two...!"

A series of punches and swords had erupted, my Persona is faster than the shadow can move. Unfortunately for the shadow, my persona destroyed all of its swords and delivered a devastating blow to its head. But not before it cut me across my chest. "ARGGGGHHH!" "Kei," Yukari screamed.

As the shadow begins to melt, I began to fall to the ground. *Thud*

"Hey, Kei-kun, are you alive!? Come on, say something!" *Bang* I heard the door to the roof being forced open

"Takeba, turn Kazuki over! We need to keep him alive! Akihiko, you'll switch in to heal Kazuki once Takeba runs out of energy."

"Mitsu...chan?" "Kazuki, can you hear us!?" "Loud and clear, chief," I said while in a hushed voice... "We're going to get you to a hospital Kei-kun." Yukari told me. I nod in agreement. I started to feel a soothing wave of comfort on my wound. "Akihiko, get Yuki." "Got it."

I begin to drift off into unconsciousness. I feel scared, although calm at the same time. That's weird how can I feel two things that are opposite of each other at the same time? All I can think about or all I can say at this point is, "Fuuka..."


	4. It begins

"Arise, Kei Kazuki. We have much to discuss." Upon hearing that I got up from the floor. I saw someone wearing a mask. He was about the same height as me. I looked at my surroundings, all I see is a vast, empty space.

"What is this place?" "I could tell you, but I'd like for you to tell me what it is." Not really much of an answer, but okay. "Hmm... I got nothing." I told the mask-wearing guy. "Now I have another question: who are you?" "I am Philemon." "I see, well, it was nice meeting you Philemon, but how do I get out of here (do I tap my heels)?" "I will let you out, but before that let me give you a warning." "A warning...?"

"This was one out of many tests you will be facing, but fear not, your Persona will safeguard you and the people you hold dear." "Safeguard... Wow, that actually sounds cool. But wait, why do I have this power?" "Because you qualify to use this power." "Me, qualify...? I'm glad I made the cut then." What meant was: how did I get this power.

"Now, Kei Kazuki, awaken from your slumber. And do tread carefully, the Persona you have awakened to is half awakened, so you have not fully awakened to your potential, yet." "I see, so those arms are just an aspect of it?" "Yes."

So half of its strength is mine...? Well, that's fine with me; not like I want to grow in power or anything...

"Until next time," Philemon said. *Snap*

4/17 F, Afternoon, Tatsumi hospital,

I open my eyes to find everything in that space (Philemon including), to disappear in the blink of an eye. The first thing I see when I woke up was the ceiling light hitting my eyeballs. A little less light would be fine...

I tried to get up but something was weighing down on my left arm. I took a look over to see why that was, I was surprised to find it was a person.

"Fuuka, please wake-up. My arm..." I started to move my arm as gently as possible. The moment I moved my arm just a tad bit, her grip on my arm got even tighter. Fuuka must've been really worried about me. "I'm so sorry, Fuuka..."

Fuuka started to lift her head off my arm. She's awake.

"Kazuki-kun, you're awake!" "I can say the same to you." "What do you mean?" she asked as she rubbed her eyes a bit. "...You were sound asleep on my arm." "Oh, I'm sorry!" "Why are you apologizing, it's not a bad thing. Besides, you must've been tired of just seeing me sleep here." "No, not at all!" "That's good." I let out a light chuckle...

"But I need to ask: what happened to you?" She wants the truth. To be honest, I have no idea. But nonetheless, I can't tell her, she'll think I'm insane.

"I...don't know either... All I know is, I felt dizzy and then I must've passed out. Guess I was a bit exhausted." "Is that really true," she asked. "Of course it is, why would I lie?" "I don't mean to doubt you, but you been sleeping for an entire week straight." "Really!" Well, that's news to me. I wouldn't guess an injury like this would keep me out for a week.

"Well, I must've been really exhausted then," I tried to laugh off the fact that I was sleeping for a week straight...

"You must have been exhausted from helping me...?" "I wasn't exhausted from helping you." "Are you sure?" "Yeah, in fact, if I didn't help you, I'd probably wouldn't be worth calling a friend." "I see... Thank goodness. I thought I was being a burden to you." "Not at all, so relax."

We spent a few minutes catching up on what happened over the weekend. When I got a glimpse of her hand I saw a bruise on her hand. "Where did you get that?" "Hm, get what?" She said. "That bruise on your hand?" "Oh, I, um." "Tell me the truth Fuuka..."

She was fiddling with her fingers as she looked at her feet. *Sigh* Maybe I shouldn't yell at her like that. "Before I came here today, I ran into Moriyama." "What happened," I asked as I was trying to contain my rage. "I was trying to stop her from going to-" "Why do you care what she does?" I asked her. "Hm?" "Why do you care at all?" "Because that place isn't safe for her." "Still, why does it concern you? Let her go there for all I care!?" "But I care! I feel like I need to stop her!"

I didn't have anything else left to say. Why does she care what that Moriyama does? I don't understand, and I think I never will...

"I should notify the doctor that you're awake." "Yeah, would be a good idea..." The both of us didn't even look at each other when we talked. I wasn't angry at her but I couldn't bring myself to for some reason...

"Okay, I'm gonna get going now. See you later." "Wait, before you go can you bring my hoodie to me when I get back to school?" "Of course." "Thank you, Fu-chan. I'll call you when I'm released..."

As Fuuka left my hospital room, I laid my head back on the pillow. I'm glad she came to see me, but now I'm a lot more worried than I am glad...

"Worried about a bully? Makes no damn sense!"

Paulownia mall, Be Blue V, Afternoon

After leaving the hospital to visit Kazuki-kun, I boarded the train to the mall. He seems to be doing fine. He said he was just exhausted, although, is that really it...? I feel like that it's not only due to exhaustion; a person wouldn't be out for that long. But I am glad he isn't hurt though.

I was at the Paulownia mall, inside the "Be Blue V." There's a lot of pretty accessories like earrings, necklaces, and rings. I don't really keep up with fashion much, but it doesn't hurt to see what's in stock. ...Especially since I want to ask Kazuki-kun out on the weekend. It's my way of thanking him for everything he's done so far. Should I try working here part-time to gain some money...?

"Hello, miss, are you looking for anything?" "Um, not really." "Are you sure?" "Actually, maybe I am." "...And that would be?" "Something that would look nice?" "Something fitting for a date," the clerk suggested. "HUH, not as a date, I mean if he were to ask me on a date I wouldn't say no! Umm... oh, my..." "It's okay, I think there's something in stock for such a thing, I'll be right back."

That's not what I meant to say...

Yamagishi household, Evening

In since there wasn't anything else to do, I went back home for today. As I had my hand on the doorknob, I hesitated a bit. This was nothing new, my hands would always do this before opening the door, but I always open it...

"Mother, Father, I'm home." "Welcome home, Fuuka." I was greeted by my mother. She had the same teal color as me. She would always wear an expression her face as if she was watching me or was being cautious of me; it would make me feel uncomfortable around her most of the time.

"Hello, mother." "You know Fuuka, I'm started to notice you've been returning home rather late than usual, and this really put a damper in your studies. Care to tell me why?" "It's because, I um..." "Does it have to do with a boy named Kei Kazuki." How does she know about Kazuki-kun!?

"I found this hoodie in your room, it had a school I.D. So this what you been wasting your time on?" I hidden that hoodie extremely well. How did she find it; maybe deep inside my closet shouldn't be considered "well".

"So for nearly this entire week, instead of focusing on your studies, here you are, doting around with some boy!" "He's not just a boy, he's my friend!" "Oh, really? Can you really prove that and if so: how exactly will you go about doing so?" "I...don't know how I can, but you have to believe me when I say he isn't a bad person." "Really, enlighten me."

I couldn't really prove much, and I don't want use Moriyama as a means to an end.

"I stand by what I said about him," I told mother. "That's what I thought..." She nodded her head.

"Now I want to ask you another question." "Okay..." "How did you meet this boy - this, Kei Kazuki?" "...In school." "I didn't ask where I said how," mother clarified. "He, umm...saved me." "What do you mean, 'saved you'?" "He, umm...saved me from falling down a flight of stairs."

Mother let out a sigh... "My goodness, Fuuka, you are quite the imbecile, aren't you." "I...I know." "...But that's why you need to study for medical school, so you'll stop acting like such a fool, and you'll become something worth a damn!" Her words rang throughout the house and through my head...

"Yes, mother." "Good girl... Now, I want you to go to your room and continue with your studies. Do you understand?" "Yes..." "Good, dinner will be ready at 8:30. Also, here, take this filthy thing."

Mother threw Kazuki-Kun's hoodie at me, and then she left without saying another word to me...

I went up to my room and I locked the door so no one could come in unannounced. I lay down on my bed, hugging the jacket in my hands... It reminded me of our conversation from earlier. I didn't mean to yell at him; words were just bursting into my brain and- *Sigh*

Maybe I should go to sleep, so I won't be dozing off when I go to the hospital tomorrow to visit Kazuki-kun. Speaking of which, I should probanly clean his jacket, I bet he would be happy about...!

3/18 Sa, Tatsumi hospital, Afternoon

Today, I have been released from the hospital. Thank god, it was boring in here, sitting in one place without anythig to do isn't fun; and the food, it's as bad as everyone says it is!

I went down to the reception desk to sign myself out. After I did that, I made my way to the exit. While I was heading for the exit, I spotted a girl with dark-teal hair.

"Kazuki-kun, you're being released today?" "Yeah, I am." "But you've only been awake for one day, certainly they would let you out after a couple of days?" "Oh, guess they decided to let me out early? But don't worry about it, I'm fine, seriously." Although, I still felt the wound on my chest a bit but I wanted her to know I was fine. So I put on the best smile can put on...

"Well, if you say so. Then you wanna go somewhere for? I didn't have to be home until 6:30 P.M." "Um, isn't that kind of early?" "Yeah, my parents are a bit...strict when it comes to that sort of thing." Fuuka had a saddened look on her face. "Are okay," I asked her. "Mh, I'm fine." "Well, if you say so."

And about hanging out for today. I'm sorry, Fuuka, but I need to head straight to the dorm today. ...sorry." "I see... Well, okay then. I'll see you tomorrow." "Course you will..."

I walked towards the exit. Fu-chan looked at me with a sad expression... I need to head back to the dorm and figure out what the hell happened last night. On the other hand... What the hell am I doing!? I should hang out with her; I mean, she probably wanted to hang out the moment I got out of the hospital, so it doesn't seem fair... Hold it, I have an idea...!

"I do need to head straight for the dorm today. But~, if you want to tag along, that would be cool?" "Really, okay, I'll come with you." "Awesome, plus, I don't how to get home." "Huh?" "I mean, I don't know where the dorm is from here." Fu-chan looked at me with a dumbfounded face. But then she had this smile on her face.

"It makes sense, you're new to the city, so you wouldn't know how to get here since you were conscious." "Exactly, I passed out at the dorm. So really, it makes sense." "Okay then, I guess I'll take you home now."

That sounds pretty weird since she's the one saying it, but not that big of a deal. And to be honest, I'm glad I get to walk home with someone...

Iwatodai dormitory, Afternoon

We reached the dorm without making any stops, but we did talk about many things about the city while we were making our way here.

"Fu-chan, I'm really sorry about today." "Why for?" "Because you wanted to hang out, I just dragged you here instead." "It's okay, I'm actually glad I got to see where you're staying in Port Island."

I never really did tell her where I lived in the city. "...It must be nice to live in a place like this, away from home," Fuuka said with her eyes gazing at the doors. "Fuuka, are you okay?" "Y-Yes, I am!" "It's just, you seemed...off." "Really, sorry. I just space out is all." "It's not a problem." "Thank you, Kazuki-kun... it's getting late, I think I should get going."

I need to make up for today, and I know how I can. "Fuuka..." "Yes...?" "I was wondering: if you're not doing anything, maybe we could hang out?" Why am I so nervous? "I would like that." "Good! I'll text you the details later." "Okay, I'll be looking forward to it." I waved her goodbye...

"Okay, time to do this!"

Iwatodai dormitory, Evening

I head right into the dorm after a few minutes of thinking of what questions to really ask, but I'm pretty sure I was stalling. I had gotten a message on my phone when I got back. It was from Mitsuru, she told me to come up to the fourth floor, and it was in ny inbox since yesterday. I'm guessing the only reason I got out of the hospital this early was because she allowed it.

"Kirijo must have sway."

I went upstairs to the fourth floor. Upon arrival, I saw two doors conjoined together. I opened the doors to see a strange room. Everything in the room seemed to be normal, apart from the giant computer monitor on the left side of the room. I see some familiar faces and not so familiar faces. Mitsu-chan is here, so is Mr. Ikutsuki. Makoto is here as well. And finally, I saw another person in the room. He was the same white hair guy I saw the other day.

"Kazuki, come and sit-down... We have much to discuss." I sat down in compliance.

"Allow, me to get the introductions out of the way. ...The man sitting right in front of me is, **Akihiko Sanada**." "Nice to meet you, Kei." I get-up to shake his hand (he has a strong grip).

"All right, now let me introduce another person." "Actually, Mitsuru, I think I'll be introducing myself."

"...Makoto Yuki, Kei Kazuki, I'm **Shuji Ikutsuki**." "Chairman, shall we start explaining," Mitsuru asked. "I believe we will."

Mitsuru began to speak.

"Now, Kazuki, Yuki: the night you both arrived here, did you notice something was off?" "Yes I did," I said.

"The street lights were off, there was blood on the floor, and I think I saw coffins." It was pretty vague, but I knew I saw coffins on my way here that night.

"These are the anomalies that happen during a hidden period of time." "Hidden?" "What is this hidden hour," Yuki asked. "It's called, **The Dark Hour**." "The Dark Hour, what is it," I asked.

Ikutsuki-san started to explain everything. Apparently, it's an hour that's between the times, 12:00 A.M, and 1:00 A.M... The duration of the Dark Hour is, and for its namesake, an hour. Also, people without ' **potential** ' aren't able to function within the Dark Hour. Just like the night, when that huge monster attacked the dorm, there are monsters that lurk in that hour alone; **Shadows** , and only with the power of Persona can anyone fight back against them. It's also theorized that the Shadows inflict a strange state on people called **Apathy syndrome** : It renders a person motionless once they've been inflicted by it.

"Now, everything seems to be in order. Mitsuru will you do the honors?" On cue, Mitsuru lifts two briefcases onto the table.

"Now for the main question..." Mitsuru opens the two briefcases. In them are two strikingly similar guns and with it an armband.

"Will you both lend us your strength?" I stared dumbfounded at the briefcase wondering what to say, how to respond to this choice I was presented.

"I'll join. Yuki said. Yuki picked up the gun inside the case. "I'll play my part" "Thank-you, Yuki," Mitsuru thanked Makoto with gratitude. "Are you sure, I mean," "It's okay Yukari, I want to do this; this is something only I can do. So I intend to do this," Yuki stated. He looked at the gun in his hand. "Kei, what's your decision?" Mitsuru turned her attention to me.

I still don't have an answer! He was able to come up with one in a span of a couple seconds. I started to waver from saying yes; maybe it's just too dangerous for me; maybe I just can't handle it...

"Well, I don't know." I clenched my chest. "I'm not really the bravest guy nor am I the type to fight. So to be perfectly honest with you guys: I don't really know if I should do this just; if I get injured like I did that night, I don't know what might happen... So I...refuse!" I had yelled my rejection to the offer. "I see, that's a shame... Well, I guess it can't be helped, although, we'll have to transfer you to the regular dorm."

I fiddled with my hands as I pondered on what I said. I was thinking about what the shadows were, what the Dark Hour is, and what Apathy syndrome was...

"Wait, Apathy syndrome can happen to anyone, right," I asked out loud. "Well, as far as we can gather: yes, anyone can get inflicted with it. Of course, none of us who can experience the Dark Hour," Ikutsuki answered my question... Then that could very much apply to Fuuka. I clenched my fist and looked towards Mitsuru.

"Hey, Mitsuru, can I ask you a question?" "Yes, go right ahead." "If I do this, fighting shadows in The Dark Hour: would I be protecting people from shadows? Would me, fighting make a difference?" If I'm gonna fight I gotta know if it'll mean anything. "Yes, you would be. Shadows can cause damage to the city and to people if they're not taken care of." I have it, my answer!

"Thank you for answering my question, because now..." I grabbed the armband from the case that was pointing in my direction, and I put it on. "...I'll fight!"

I'll protect her, I'll protect Fuuka...!

"I'm glad to hear you had reconsidered," Mitsuru said to me. "Yeah, guess I just needed a nudge..."

Ikutsuki coughed as he reached out both his arms towards me and Makoto-kun.

"Makoto Yuki and Kei Kazuki welcome to S.E.E.S."

I rubbed the back of my head as I felt my cheeks flare up. This actually felt great; to be welcomed like this...

"Kazuki," Makoto called my attention. "Looks like we'll be working together for now on." Makoto reached out his hand. "Yeah, I bet we'll make a sweet team." I shook his hand. Maybe this won't be so bad if I'm gonna be working with people like these guys...

Kei Kazuki's room, Late-night

I retreat to my room after the meeting. I feel somewhat exhausted, although I don't know why I feel so exhausted; I felt fine during recruitment...

I change into my lounging clothes and plop on the bed. Now I finally feel relaxed. I close my eyes and I look at my hands. "I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna protect Fuuka!"

Pip* *pip* My phone was going off. "Hello?" "Kei, it's Naoya." "Oh, hey Naoya." I rubbed my eyes, trying not to drop dead on the bed. "You alright, you sound tired?" "Yeah, no, I'm fine, really. Just a bit *yawn* tired." "Guess the private schools can run a guy ragged, huh?" "Yeah, I guess it can..."

There was a brief moment of silence between us. It wasn't like I had nothing to say but I didn't him teasing me about it when I say it!

"Hello, Kei? You there?" "Yeah, no, yes, I'm here," I fumbled my words. "But, yo, Naoya, I have to tell you something," I nervously said to him. "What is it, kid?" "Well, um, I've been doing okay here. In fact, I actually made a friend here."

Naoya didn't respond immediately, but after a few seconds, I heard a chuckle. "Aw, my little is all grown up now. Making friends, I'm just so proud of you!" Damnit, I knew he would pull this. "Stop it! This why I didn't want to tell you!" "But I just wanted to congratulate you on a friend." "No, you're trying to screw

with me, you jerk!" I felt as if I had steam coming from my ears. "Is it a girl?" Naoya asked. "Yeah," I replied without the steam. "Is she cute?" "Yeah." "It's only been what, a week? You're already a ladies man?" "Stop it!" He sounded even dumber than a minute ago...

"But really Kei, I'm happy for you." "Um, thanks." I scratched my cheek as I felt a warm sensation around my cheeks.

"Hey, listen, I gotta go," Naoya told me. "I'll call you later, okay?" "Yeah, that's fine. I'll hear from you later, right?" "Yeah, you will." "Alright then, snell you later." Before I hung up, I heard Naoya say something, "Be careful." Naoya had hung up... "Be careful, for what?" I don't know what he meant, but I knew it wasn't about the Dark Hour. "Eh, whatever." I got out of bed and changed out of my uniform clothes. After a sluggish battle to put on clothes, I plopped down on the bed. Well, I guess I can now say that I joined a club, a club of fighting monsters, and protecting the city.

"Will I really be okay? I mean, I never fought a fight in my life... "Hmm. Hmmm... Who really knows." It was a bit late for me to try and call it quits again, and besides, I don't have any intentions on quitting now. "Might as well roll with the punches then." I slid into the sheets and I drift off to sleep...


	5. The exploration mission

4/19 Sunday, Iwatodai dormitory, Evening

I didn't go anywhere today... Instead, I just stayed in my room, playing video games until Yuka-chan asked me to come down to the lounge for something important.

When I reach the lounge, I saw Akihiko, Mako-kun, and Yuka-chan down here. "Kio, what's going on?" "Who's Kio?" "You are, Senpai." "How did you make that nickname?" "Well, I took the 'ki' then I put the 'o' last. And that's how I made your nickname." "Oh...I see..."

Well, this got quiet real quick... "So, what's going on Kio?" "Right... There's someone I want to introduce..." Kio opened the door leading outside of the dorm. "Hey, hurry up." "Hold your horses...this is freakin' heavy!" "Yo, you need help?" "Nah, I got it." I see the person Kio wanted to introduce; Oh, he has the Gekkoukan uniform on.

"Junpei...why is HE here, wait don't tell me...!" Yuka-chan seems to be somewhat surprised and annoyed by this person's presence. So this is Junpei "This is Junpei Iori from class 2-F, he'll be staying here as of today." "He's staying HERE, You've gotta be kidding me!?" Yuka-chan sounds even more annoyed and angry than before. "I bumped into him the other night; he has the potential, but he just awakened to it recently. So I told him about us, and he agreed to help us." "You have the potential, for real!?"

"He found me cryin' like a baby at the convenience store, surrounded by a bunch of coffins. I don't remember much, but... man, that's embarrassing! He said that's, ya know, completely normal, in the beginning. Like, bein' confused and not remembering anything. Did you guys know that?" He had asked us. "Didn't happen to me," Makoto responded. "Me neither," I added. "Ah big deal, happens to the rest of us."

*Knock* *Knock* Someone was knocking on the door to the exit. "I'll get it," I said. I opened the door to find nobody out here. "huh. Not funny..." I was gonna close the door but I saw something leaning on the guardrail.

It was a tall metallic case. It was reflecting light from the street light, It would've been practically invisible. There was a note on the case, "for Kei Kazuki". I don't remember making an order for a case like this... It looks pretty suspicious but honestly, I don't want to leave it out here... "*grunting*" I picked up the case but it was a struggle due to how heavy it was. "Holy hell, this is freaking heavy!" It was hard to take steps with this thing weighing me down!

I entered back into the dorm, and with my mysterious delivered goods. Junpei and Yukari were sitting on the couch, doing different things. Kio got off the armrest chair and came right over to me.

"So, what did I miss, Kio?" "I'm gonna give you the short version." "We're going to a place called, **Tartarus** tomorrow." "What's Tartarus," I asked as I was trying to keep the case from falling. "We'll fill you in tomorrow, just get here after school tomorrow." "Kay."

Junpei stared at the box, in my arms. "Yo, that's a large ass box, what's in it?" "I don't know, but I think it was something I left at home." "I see, sorry for snooping, man." "No problem. Oh, by the way, I'm Kei Kazuki, nice to meet you, Jun." "Dude, that's not my name." "Don't worry Stupei, that's your nickname apparently," Yuka-chan said while she was flipping pages in here magazine. "Really, cool, in that case, I'll call you...Kazu" "Kazu, yeah, that definitely fits." "Dude, it's settled, I'm Jun and you're, Kazu." "Sweet!"

I first bumped Jun, after that, I went up to my room. "Umm... can someone help me upstairs, this box is really heavy." Jun jumps up from the couch. "I got you, dude!" "Thanks."

Iwatodai Dormitory, Kei Kazuki room, Evening

I sat right on my bed, staring at the box on my lap in anxiety. I slowly open the box, and what I find inside the box left me speechless. I found a katana sword. I nearly dropped it due to my surprise.

The katana was sheathed in a black and red cover. I unsheathed the sword, the blade itself was black, like jet black. The handle was black as well. Except for the diamond-like shapes that are usually on the hilt. It was filled with blood-shaded red. ...It also had another weird detail I took notice of; there was a small chain on the bottom of the hilt. But the part of the chain that caught my attention was a ring that was attached to it. The chains are connecting to both sides of the ring.

I got off my bed and I held it in my hands... The weight was heavy, but not the weight of the case. The blade didn't reflect anything whatsoever... "*snickering* This is so cool!" I had always wanted to hold a sword, not just some toy one. Felt like a little kid... When I stopped gushing at the sword, I calmed myself and I put the sword away in the case. I change clothes - like I always do before heading to bed...

"Ah, back kicking it on the bed..."

*Pip-pip* *Pip-pip* My phone was going off on my desk. I got out of bed and I picked up the phone.

"Hello, Kazuki-kun." "Fuuka, what's up" "Nothing... I know it's late, so I'll make it quick." "Okay, what's on your mind?" I took a seat in my chair. "Well...I was wondering, are you doing anything on Sunday?" "Next Sunday? No, not really." "Well, can we meet up then?" "Of course, Sunday's cool for me." "Thank goodness. So we'll meet up at the station," Fuuka suggested. "...Yeah, the station, that sounds good to me." "Okay, then, I'll see you at school tomorrow." "Yep, you'll see me there in good condition." "Alright, I guess I'll see you tomorrow." "Guess, you will definitely see me tomorrow." "Hehe, I'll definitely see you tomorrow." "Alright see you." "Goodnight, Kazuki-kun."

I then hang-up on Fuuka. "Goodnight to you too, Miss Yamagishi..."

4/20 Monday, Gekkoukan high, Class 2-E, Afterschool

I put all my stuff away after the final bell had rung, indicating that the school day was over. I had gotten a text message a few seconds after the bell, it's from Kio. I open the message and it reads, _"Kei, we need you to come straight back to the dorm today, we're making preparations to go to, Tartarus."_

"Kazuki-kun." "JESUS!" The hairs on my back rose and I fumbled my phone a bit. "Oh, Fuuka...hey." "I'm sorry...did I scare you?" "No, you just surprised me, that's all." "Oh...um, okay then." "Yeah..." Akward~

"So, do you want to go somewhere today?" "I can't, sorry..." "It's okay... We can always go somewhere after school, tomorrow."

I feel bad for not hanging-out with Fuuka, but if we're going to Tartarus tonight, I need to be ready.

When I was halfway out of the classroom, I saw Natsuki, the girl that was bullying Fuuka, walking right over to her.

"Hey, Fuuka can I ask you a question?" "Umm...sure." "What's your relationship with Kazuki? Is he your boyfriend or something?" "N-no, we're just...friends!" "Are you sure about that?" "W-what do you mean?" "I mean for all we know, he might be trying to cozy up to you because you're simple and easy."

This has gone on long enough, I'm putting a stop to this! "I have a question for you Natsuki." "What is it?" "Here's the question: why do you pick on Fuuka?" "I'm not picking on her, you see I-" "You know what, hold that thought, because I have the answer for you."

"...First of all, you pick on Fuuka so you can fulfill some sort of twisted satisfaction of yours." "The hell you going on about!?" "Let me finish...! Are you jealous of Fuuka?" "WHAT, why would I be!?" "Well, I only ask this because why else do you bully her. As far as I see it: you been bullying her since last year." "Yeah, so what!?" "Oh, I'm sorry to let me be a bit more...specific. ...You started bullying Fuuka around the time she became an honor student, isn't that right?" "What's your point!?" "My point is, you're just jealous of Fuuka because she isn't like the other girls here; yeah, she's might have a reserved personality, but under that, she's smart, kind, and considerate to other people. Hell, she's taken all this harassment from you for this long. So you know what that tells me, she has the personality of a saint! Now, how about you do me a favor, and leave Fuuka the hell alone!"

Everyone in the classroom went silent from my outburst. Natsuki, on the other hand, seems like she's about to burst into rage.

"Screw this, I'm out of here!" Natsuki opens the door in anger and shuts it with an equal amount of rage. I was panting from my yelling. I'd never yelled at someone like that before, my heart was beating like hell.

"Hey, Fuuka, you alright?" "I'm-I'm all right?" "I know what you're going to say, and you're right, I shouldn't have snapped like that." "I think we could've resolved that in a more peaceful way, but thank you, Kazuki-kun." "No problem, but I still think I could've handled that a lot better than I did. ...But that doesn't mean I regret saying what I said." "Thank-you again, Kazuki-kun." She bowed to me. "Don't sweat it, seriously. Friends need to stick up for one another." "R-really?" She muttered to herself. "Yeah, that's what we're supposed to do, right?" I presented my fist in front of her. "Now come on, bump it."

She seemed a bit startled at first but she eventually connected her fist to mine... I grabbed my bag from my desk.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow." "Okay, see ya." Before I made my way out of the classroom, Fu-chan walked in front of me. "Wait, Kazuki-kun, I have to give you something." "Fu-chan, you don't need to give me anything." "But, Kazuki-kun." "...I mean, a gift from you would be good." "Kazuki-kun..." "But the best gift from you would be your respect." "Um...Kazuki-kun..." "Yes, Fu-chan?" "I was going to give you this..."

Fuuka reaches into her bag to reveal my hoodie. "..." "Kazuki-kun, are you okay?" I took a moment to think about how much of a complete tool I sounded like.

I grabbed my hoodie from Fuuka's hands, and upon doing that, my fingers grazed Fuuka's left hand a bit, but enough to have her let go of my hoodie. Thankfully, due to my quick reflexes, I caught my hoodie before it hit the floor. Looking at Fu-chan, I saw her blush immensely. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to drop your hoodie, Kazuki-kun!" "It's alright Fu-chan, I know you didn't mean to." I smiled at her in reassurance. With that being said, I took off my uniform jacket, so I could properly wear this outfit set-piece of mine.

When I put on the hoodie, I expect a big *swoosh* noise like in an anime. But nope that didn't happen. Although, something does seem different about the hoodie. It smells different, it smells nice; like some-sort-of flowered fragrance. Did Fu-chan wash this for me?

"I know it smells a bit weird, but-" "It's alright, it smells great." "Really?" "Yeah." "I see, Thank-you."

Fu-chan made her way out of the classroom.

I know I need to go to the dorm right away, but maybe it would be all right if I walk with Fu-chan. Besides, there's probably still a pissed off Natsuki in the area, so better safe than sorry.

"Hey, Fu-chan, wait up." "Is something wrong Kazuki-kun?" "No, not exactly, but I was wondering, is it okay if I walk you home for today?" "I thought you weren't able to?" "...You let me worry about that." "Okay, then let's go."

Fu-chan and I left the school grounds. While we were leaving, I kept an eye for any unexpected appearances. - Oh, say like...a possibly pissed off bully...

"Kazuki-kun, about that conversation in the hospital." "What about it?" She was fiddling with her fingers. "I'm really sorry for yelling at you." I don't really remember much yelling but I do remember the argument. "Um, you're forgiven. But to be honest, I don't remember much yelling, but yeah." "Thank goodness!" It still sort of bothered me but I wasn't gonna say anything about that...

"Kazuki-kun, I have a question to ask." "Shoot." "How are you feeling? I mean, are you feeling better since you got out of the hospital?" "Yeah, I feel as fit as a fiddle." And that was no lie, I was feeling pretty fine, in fact, I'd say the only way you say I was hurt during my first encounter is by my scar. "I see, but tell me if you're not feeling well." "Oh, you gonna treat me, doctor Yamagishi," I joked. "N-no! I can do cuts, bruises, and not too serious sicknesses, but that's it." "Oh, do you know about medicine," I asked. "Yeah, just a little bit, though. I've been studying for a while now..." "Planning on being a doctor?" "Huh, n-no. I don't really want to be." She seemed pretty upset when I touched on wanting to be a doctor...

"But Kazuki-kun, seriously, tell me if you're feeling ill or something between those lines, you need to take care of your body, okay?" Fuuka had a serious expression that had taken me by surprise a bit. I didn't think she could make one. It made me crack a smile. I gave a little salute to her. "Got it, boss lady..."

Iwatodai dormitory, Command room Evening

When I get to the dorm everyone looked prepared, it's probably because we're going to Tartarus. I knew walking Fu-chan home would make me late, but I was a bit paranoid for her safety; So I had no other choice. Besides, I feel like I could explain why I'm late to Mitsu-chan.

"Sorry, I'm late!" Everyone in the room looked over towards me. "Where were you," Kio asked. "I was still at the school, I had to do something." I walked Fuuka home, which was a bit far from the dorm, so I had to book it here. Well, that doesn't matter now, we're going to Tartarus, go get your Evoker," Mitsuru commanded me. "R-right!" I went down to my room to go get my equipment...

When I got in the room, I got my Evoker from under my bed and I pulled out the metal case with the black sword. I took it out and I held it up for a moment. "Okay, we can do this, this shouldn't be a big deal even. I got this!" I took a deep breath and I proceeded to put the sword in its sheath. I left my room with my equipment. "I can do this...!"

4/21 Tu, Gekkoukan high entrance, late-night

I had arrived at the school. I had to keep the sword concealed by going into dark alleys where and really dark spots (I nearly got caught several times).

"Finally here," Kio stated. "Sorry, I had to take a bit more of my time to get." "Well, you got here just in time." I looked towards the school, seeing the moon hover over it.

"Yo, Kio, what's going to happen to the school?" "You're about to see..." I took my phone out of my pocket to check the time. It's 12:59 A.M, and in a couple seconds, the Dark Hour will start.

For some reason, I'm feeling a bit, excited... A few seconds later, it was the Dark Hour. My focus was still directed at the school. As I kept my undivided attention to the school, it started to change, many different pillars and structures started to appear out of nowhere, to form a giant tower. that seemed to reflect the dirty green the moon was giving off...

"That's it, this is Tartarus?" "Indeed it is," Mitsuru answered. My legs were shaking like crazy, and I had goosebumps all over my arms. I feel to the floor as I felt this. "Hey, you all right," Jun tried to grab my shoulder but I stopped him. "No, it's fine, my legs were just shaking from the excitement. So, I'm fine, really." In truth, I was excited, but a bit scared at the same time...

Mitsuru-san nods her head in acceptance, and then made her way to the entrance of Tartarus. "All right, we wasted enough time, let's get going."

Everybody made their way to Tartarus. I, on the other hand, was still on the floor. I was trying to get up but I was still having trouble with that.

"Are you all right, Kazuki-kun" "Huh?" "I asked if you are all right, are you?" I look to see who's asking me. It's Yukari. "Yeah, one-hundred percent!" I put on a smile, so I don't appear distressed. "Good, I know this can be a bit...scary, but you won't be alone in this; Makoto, me, even stupei will be there, so don't worry. Besides, I saw what you did to that shadow the other night. As far as I'm certain, we'll all be fine, so come on." "Thank you." I got up from the floor...

"Thank-you, Yuka-chan." "Your welcome." "Also thank you for healing my wound." "No problem. It's the least I can do for the guy who saved us." "Ah, shucks." I was scratching my head, feeling the blood flow to my cheeks. "Oh, I have to tell you one thing," I told Yuka-chan "What is it?" "...I'll do my best from now on, so you can count on me." "I hope I can, because both you and Makoto, seem pretty reliable." "What about Jun?" "Junpei, who knows, maybe he'll be some help."

We both started laughing for no reason at all, but I feel much better. I started to calm down a bit. "Okay, Yuka-chan, I think we should get going now." "Yeah, you're right. let's get going."

Yuka-chan and I made our way towards Tartarus.

I heard people say that Yukari was stuck-up. But from what I have seen, she's quite a nice person...

...

 **"All the pawns are gathering, now the game can begin soon."**


	6. Old home stories

_Italics: Mitsuru or Fuuka talking through_ _their_ Personas

The lobby of Tartarus, Dark Hour

I entered the inside of Tartarus, the inside had a vivid look to it, almost as if everything but the platform were standing on looked like a dream.. "Whoa... it's as cool on the inside." I agree with Jun there, this place looks pretty solid. "But, It sure is creepy," Yuka-chan pointed out.

"This is only the entrance, the labyrinth is beyond the doorway at the top of the stairs."

"First, we'll have you four get a feel for this, so Mitsuru and I will have you guys go in there," Akihiko said. "What, by ourselves," Junpei yelled. "No, they won't send us in there without a way for" Mako-kun pointed out. "What do you mean Mako-kun?" "Well, while Akihiko-senpai was explaining what the four of us were gonna be doing in Tartarus, I was looking at Mitsuru-senpai's bike." "How did my bike catch your attention?" "Mitsuru-senpai, I'm pretty sure you know why it did, but I should explain why your bike had my attention."

I look at the bike, it looks ordinary to me. Wait a minute, why is there a bike here anyway.

"Kei, can I ask you something?" "Sure." "What's out of place here?" How would I know that? It's my first time being here? I looked around the entire room, so far everything seems to be normal here.

I looked at Mitsu-chan's bike for a minute, then, I it again: why is there a bike here? That's when it clicked, the bike is out of place here.

"It's the bike, right?" "Correct. Now, I'll explain why it's out of place."

"First of all, I want to know how the bike got here, Mitsuru-senpai? Certainly, you didn't push it here." "...There's a certain material inside the bike that allows it to function during the Dark Hour," Mitsuru explained. "I see, is this certain material inside our Evokers as well?" "Yes." "Just as I thought..."

"Now, allow me to get back to the bike. ...Other than the material inside the bike, it's completely normal, except for one thing actually." "What would that be," I asked "The radios on the bike. Mitsuru-senpai, you don't have any type of earpieces, do you?" "No, none at all." "Then let me ask you this: your Persona, what is it capable of?" "My persona is able to fight in battle, and provide support off the front lines." "I see, so are the radios amplifying your support abilities."

"Yes, they do - Depending on the right frequency, I can provide better support while you all are inside Tartarus." "Wow... Yuka-tan, did you know she can do that?" "No, not at all."

Yuka-chan and Jun seem to be impressed by Mitsu-chan's Persona. However, something else caught my attention, Mako-kun's analytical; they're on point, in fact...it's kinda scary...

"Alright, everyone, we don't have all night. Let me appoint the leader, so we can have you guys enter the labyrinth," Kio said. "One of us, for real!?" Jun's eyes beamed about Kio picking someone to be the leader.

"Oh, oh, me, me, me, pick ME!" "Hmm, Yuki, you're in charge." "WHAT, why him!?" "I guess the leader was going to be either, Kei-kun or Makoto-kun." "Why would Kei be a possibility?" "I mean, he has fought them." "Really!?"

Mitsu-chan began to speak. "Enough of the idle chit-chat, time to start the mission." We all started making our way to the staircase, but we all stopped after Mako-kun went to the left side of the room for no reason at all.

Mako-kun has been standing in the same exact position for two whole minutes now. Jun is getting a bit impatient, I don't blame him.

After three-and-a-half minutes, Mako-kun finally comes back to his senses. "Hey, are you all right?" "Yeah, what's up? ...You look like a zombie," Jun told him "Are you okay, Mako-kun," I asked him.

He looks at an empty space for a second, then he responds. "Yeah, I'm fine." "Alright, we all heard the man, let's head into the labyrinth." I made a gesture, pointing towards the entrance.

The four of us made our way to the door leading into the labyrinth of Tartarus...

Tartarus block, Thebel, floor 5

The four of us entered the labyrinth. The place feels quite...anonymous. We had been instructed on how to fight them by Mitsuru herself.

"This floor seems to be pretty small for Tartarus," Jun noted. "Yeah, but I'm surprised that this place has big ass floors, I said. "Yes, this place truly does deserve its name," Makoto added.

I heard a noise, it was like something rolling. We looked towards the corner of another corridor. A large shadow with wheels for legs, and some bird-like shadows. "Aw, shit!"

The birds came charging at us and clawed at Junpei. "ARGHH!" Two of them of them came zooming at me. I tried to slash at them but I kept missing, and they kept circling me. One of the birds broke the circle and just straight-up lunged at me. I was able to stab it, but I couldn't get it away from me. "Get off me damn it!" I ripped my sword out of it through slicing its torso...

"*Pant* *pant* I heard noise shattering cry from the other birds. A gust of wind had hit me from under my feet and sent a few feet into the air. Something had grabbed my foot. It was one if the birds! It was taking me up in the air. " What in the hell!" It was raising me higher and higher to the air. Was it gonna take me somewhere? When I looked below, I saw Orpheus charging at us. It used its lyre to hit the bird smack in the face. It had let me go, and I was descending fast. Orpheus had caught me. I saw Makoto waving at me, I waved back at him...

"Huh?" I saw a bird zooming towards him, he didn't notice though. It was coming right past us. "Oh, no you don't!" I had jumped from Orpheus to the bird, grabbing its wing. The added weight to it was too much for it to handle. I was dragging it down to the ground. *Thud* ÄGHH!" My body made a large sound on impact. The bird was struggling to get up as well...

My legs felt like crap, but getting up was not impossible. The bird was trying to make a come back with a wind skill, but before it was able, Orpheus came crashing down from the sky, it had smashed the bird with its lyre. It had totally done an overkill on it.

"That was that, now..." "AHH!" I heard Yukari yell out as she was sent flying from one end of the room to the other. Junpei was using his Persona, but it was knocked out of the way. "It had set its sights on us next...

"Ready Kazuki," Makoto asked me. "I suppose I am!" We charged for the shadow, Makoto had summoned Orpheus again. It used a fire spell on the shadow, but it brushed it off as if it was nothing. I slashed at the shadow, it seemed to have done damage. It tried to hit me, but I was able to get away in time. I knew only a sword wasn't gonna cut it, I needed my Persona. I took my evoker out of my holster and I sprinted towards the enemy. I had jumped to the air with the built up momentum. It was busy fighting Makoto, so being noticed was the last thing that could happen. As I put the gun to my head, the shadow turned around at an incredible speed. It had hit me with the spike-for-an-arm. It had sent me flying into a pillar. *Thud* All the breath was knocked out of me, it had left me coughing like hell. _"Kazuki, dodge!"_ The wheel shadow. I didn't have enough time to dodge. At the last second, Hermes came swooping in, kicking the shadows head and slamming it to the wall...

"Oh yeah, home run," Junpei exclaimed. The shadow was stuck in the wall, Hermes keeping it at bay, The's blood-red eyes glow brighter. It had pushed Hermes right off, sending it towards Junpei. Yukari tried to fight against it but her wind skills did nothing to be considered big. It was charging for her next, but Orpheus' lyre interrupted it. However, it was able to shake it off... Yukari used her Persona as a shield but the shadow broke it, damaging Yukari as well...

 _"Quickly, Takeba is in danger! Somebody cover her!"_ I grit my teeth as I was the first to dash for her. The shadow was spinning around over and over again, it was preparing to do a big attack. I got in front of Yukari, my sword straight in front of me. _"Kazuki, this attack will be massive, and the damage if you try to block it will be severe, please, use your Persona!"_ "Yeah, I would, but I lost my Evoker somewhere." _"Are you joking!?"_ "I'm sorry!" _"Damn, here it comes!"_ The shadow was coming for us... I looked to see if Yukari can move, but she was still recovering from the damage she received.

"Damn it, I don't have a choice! Yuka-chan, stay behind me!" I knew summoning my Persona was the only way to get out of this. But I don't know how to summon it. I tried to remember the details of that night, the sensation...the feeling that had power behind it...! I need to picture the Persona and the feeling. _"Kazuki, that shadow is going to attack! Hurry up and get Takeba out of the way!"_ I got it!

I take a stance, I ready myself for the enemy. When the enemy was close enough towards me, I made my move. I swung my sword towards the wheel. "Persona!" I was able to do it, I was able to summon again! I had changed the direction of the shadow and it had slammed through two of the pillars in this room. _"It's down," Mitsuru had yelled._ "Then it's time to end this!" Makoto had summoned his persona again. It had smashed its lyre into the side of the shadows face. Orpheus had grabbed its head with its hands, it had begun to light the shadow on fire. And in a few seconds, the shadow began to decapitate... We had beaten all the shadows.

"That was...something," Makoto said, trying to catch his breath. "That was a lot more than I bargained for," I had stated. _"I think that was enough for one day, please, everyone use the teleporter on the floor you're on and get back here to the lobby."_ Mitsuru had cut off with us after her command...

The lobby of Tartarus, Dark Hour 

We all had been teleported back to the lobby. "Welcome, back. So, how do you all feel after that fight?" I had stretched my arms. "Exhausted." Well, I can't blame you, with that fight and the effects of the Dark Hour making you become fatigued faster, it's to be expected." I do feel like death right about now. "Kazuki...how did you summon your Persona, without an Evoker!?" "Wait, what did you say!" Jun seems surprised by the fact that I can summon my Persona without an Evoker.

"Wait, what do you mean Mitsuru-senpai," Yukari asked. "I asked if he can use a Persona without an Evoker." "Duuuude, that's awesome!" Everyone looks at me in astonishment. "Is this rare," I had asked. "Yes, I can summon my Persona without an Evoker, but it takes too much concentration." Well, when I summoned my Persona, it didn't take too much concentration.

"Yo, Kazu, you should give me your Evoker," Junpei requested, "Why for?" "...So I can summon double-Personas!" "Junpei..." "What-up Yuka-tan?" "You're a moron." "Why for!?" The banter between Jun and Yuka-chan began and continued until Kio made an announcement.

"Alright, I think that enough for one day... Let's head back." And with that, we all went back to the dorm... I can use my Persona without an Evoker... Sweet!

?/?, Unknown

I was standing in a black pit of darkness, nothing in site or anything to hear...

4/26 Su, Kei Kazuki room, Morning

When woke up, I started to rub my eyes due to exhaustion. I must've seen that same dream at least two to three times in a single night, And put that on with going to Tartarus, my exhaustion is justified.

"What time is it...?" "2:25 P.M." "Wait, 2:25...Oh crap!" I jumped out of bed and I start to change into my street clothes. I grab a pair of spring blue jeans, along with a black shirt with sleeves that stop near my wrist. I put on all these clothes in hand.

"All right...I'm ready." I ran out of the dorm, upon leaving I saw nobody in the lounge... Maybe they all went somewhere?

Port Island station, Afternoon

I made it to the station on time, despite my terrible sleeping schedule. I looked around the area to see if Fu-chan arrived yet. So far I don't see her anywhere... Maybe I need to look a little lower?

"Kazuki-kun..." I look behind me to see who is (Obviously) behind me, and the teal-haired girl I've been looking for had arrived.

"There you are, I was starting to think I showed up at the wrong station." "Sorry, I'm late." "Nah, it's alright." I look at Fu-chan. She was wearing a sort of teal colored coat, and Under that, she also was wearing a turtleneck underneath the jacket. "So, Kazuki-kun, where do you want to go?" "I was thinking we could go to the café at Paulownia mall... If it's okay with, you?" "Of course." Fu-chan and I boarded a train to Paulownia Mall.

Paulownia mall, Changall café, Afternoon

We arrived at Changall. It was full of people near age since it was Sunday today.

"Kazuki-kun, have you been here before?" "Yeah, I have, why... ?" "I only ask because you seem familiar with the menu." "I guess I am. Yeah, I have."

I saw the waitress/maid, coming over to our table. "Sorry to keep the both of you waiting." "No problem," I said. "Anyway, here's what you two ordered." "Thank you." "You're welcome." With that, the waitress/maid left.

Kazuki-kun and I started talking about many different topics; favorite types of music, movies, and among other things...

"Kazuki-kun, did you always live in Port island?" "Mikage-cho," he had stated. "Mikage-cho...I think I heard about that town on the Internet." "Oh...you did..." "I have. Apparently, there's a rumor about that town." "Like what?" "...Things like the town being haunted. Is it true?" "O-of course not, it's just a stupid superstition!" "Oh... Of course, it is." Kazuki-kun took a sip of his drink. He seemed to have been bothered by me talking about Mikage-cho. I think I should try and ask him about something else to break the silence.

"So, Kazuki-kun, can I ask you something else?" "Sure, go right ahead." "What do your parents do," I asked randomly. Kazuki-kun froze. "Well...umm...you see..." "Was that question too personal?" "No, not at all." "You don't need to tell me, I'll understand." "I don't mind."

Kazuki-kun puts down his coffee and began to unwind. "My parents are always working, so they're rarely home at all... Most of the time, they would go overseas...away from Japan, all ways far away from me..." "Kazuki-kun..." I had really messed up right there, didn't I? "But, it wasn't all that bad..." "Hmm?"

"Because my cousin, Naoya was always there for me." He had seemed to perk up now. "What is he like?" At that moment, Kazuki-kun looked up at me with a smile on his face, his eyes beaming. "If I had to describe Naoya, it would be...like a big brother." "Really?" "Yeah, he is, he even acts like it without even knowing it at times; it's pretty funny." He was stirring his coffee with his spoon. "When I graduated from junior high, we went out to Tokyo, we had seen a bunch of cool stuff, I even have a picture of us at the Tokyo Dome. But the best part was when we went out to get some Ramen, it was the best." Kazuki-kun continued on about Naoya Toudou. I could feel a great admiration for him, from Kazuki-kun

"Oh, yeah, I remember a time when Naoya use to wear an earring. It was cool looking but nowadays, he doesn't wear it." "Why did he take it off?" "He told me he didn't need it anymore." "What was it for originally?" Kazuki-kun went silent for a minute... He looked up at me to speak.

"Apparently, Naoya had a brother named, Kazuya. They were twins, so it was hard to tell which one was which. Naoya was tired of being mixed up for his brother ...So one day, he went to the forest in Mikage-cho..." "Then what happened... ?" "...He pierced his ear with the earring." "Why would he do that!?" "So people wouldn't call him by his brother's name, so they would know who-was-who." "You said he didn't need it anymore, and you also said, he HAD a brother... What do you mean by that?" "I didn't mean to actually lead on like that..." He continued to stir his coffee.

"One day, Naoya was sick, so his mom - my aunt and his brother went to the pharmacy to pick up some medicine for him. But on there way home, Kazuya wanted to give Naoya a manga when he got home, so their mom bought a manga. Kazuya was so excited to get back home that he tried to go home by himself, and then... He died." "How?" "He ran into the road without looking and got hit by a car." "That's horrible..."

"But the driver was at fault too," Kazuki-kun said. "That driver was speeding and he was drunk." "Oh my." "Yeah, but get this, that bastard tried to drive away...!" "My god!" "...But in the end, that guy didn't get away. He got arrested for a hit and run, and I'm pretty sure you can guess the rest of the story." "I can't believe something horrible as that happened." "Yeah, me too. Naoya told me all this in my first year of high school; And when he did, I couldn't believe any of it." "..." "When Naoya told me how depressed he was, I was so angry... It was beyond ridiculous that bastard of a driver only got jailed." Kazuki-kun looked like he was about to break the whole cup. He had seemed to notice that he was and loosened his grip on it.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have dragged that on," he apologized. "It's okay, Kazuki-kun, but I should be the one apologizing." "Why?" "Because I knew where you were heading with this story, and I should have stopped you." "It's all right."

It was quiet for a moment, chatter in the background made up for our lack of words.

"Fu-chan" "Yes?" "Thanks for listening." Kazuki-kun looked at me with a small smile on his face. I smile right back at him. "Your welcome."

"I think we should get going Kazuki-kun" "You're right. Although, I think we should at least finish our drinks, and I would think you would want to finish your cake, right?" "*Gasp* you're right...I didn't even touch my cake." I was beginning to eat my cake. And despite what Kazuki-kun just said, he wasn't drinking his coffee at all. Instead, he was just me eat away at my cake; but I didn't mind (though, it was a bit embarrassing).

Port Island station, afternoon

It was sundown, we had been spending most of our time at the mall, playing games, and doing karaoke. We were watching the orange sun setting, and watching people pass by us.

"It looks very pretty." "Yeah, too bad looking at it is bad for the eyes," Kazuki-kun said. "So I've been wondering Fuuka, was this boring for you?" "Huh?" "I mean, I never got to hang out with anyone besides Naoya before, so I don't know." "No, it was fine, today was pretty fun!" I was scrambling to say my feelings on this day. "To tell you the truth, I was feeling the same, I thought I was being pretty boring during this whole thing. I've been told I can be pretty dull."

"That's not true." "Hm?" He grabbed my hand and held it firmly. "I don't think you're boring at all, in fact, I had tons of fun talking to you and being able hang with a friend!" Kazuki-kun was still holding my hand even after he was finished speaking. He finally noticed and let go. "*Cough* I-I'm sorry "N-no, it's all right, I don't mind." My face was warming up, Kazuki was facing away from me...

"Hey, you wanna do this again," Kazuki-kun asked me. "Would you like to hang out on another Sunday?" He was scratching his cheek. "I would like to," I replied. I took out my phone to check the time. It was time for me to go home, mother will be angry if I don't return early. "Kazuki-kun, I have to go." "Huh, already?" "Yes, my parents don't want me staying out late." But I didn't want to go back...

"Kazuki-kun, I know I said I needed to go back now, but, can I stay here with you a bit longer." I just didn't want to go back there yet, or at all... "Sure, I can spend another couple of minutes here."

I sat back down and relaxed on the bench. The was still setting and people were still out here... I began to feel a bit tired after a while, and in a few moments later, I had fallen asleep...

5/9 Sa, Kei Kazuki's room, Dark hour, Full moon

I hear a loud alarm, it must be the alarm system Mitsu-chan told us about - It's for shadows that are roaming the city in the Dark Hour. This wouldn't be a big deal if shadows rarely left Tartarus.

I put on my uniform and I set out to the command room.

Command room, Dark Hour

Mako-kun, Jun, Yuka-chan, and I entered the room prepared for whatever was happening. "We're here!" Yuka-chan came through the door. "Where is it, me and Hermes will rip it a new one," Junpei said "I don't think shadows have one in the first place," I told him "It's just a sayin'!"

"Mitsuru-san, what's going on?" "I pinpointed the location of the shadow; It seems to be at the Port Island station." "I see..." "Normally, I would be more specific about where the shadow is, but unfortunately, I'm unable to pinpoint it's exact position until I'm close enough." "That's all right, Mitsuru-san. You'll just have to come with us." "Yes, that seems like the case."

Junpei pumped his fist. "All right, Mitsuru-senpai, what you're basically saying is: we have to go in and kick some serious ass!" "*Sigh* Junpei..."

"Akihiko, you'll stay here and wait for the chairman." "Wha- are you kidding me, I'm going!" "Akihiko, you're still in recovery, if you go you'll only be a hindrance." "Tch! Fine."

Kio looks at both Mako-kun and me. "Well, it can't be helped... Yuki you're in charge." "Him again?" Junpei sounded kind of pissed at that fact.

"All right, we wasted enough time, let's move out everyone." As instructed by Mitsu-chan, we left for the station. With all the fighting in Tartarus I been doing, this should be nothing. Time to show everyone what I'm made of!

I left the dorm with a sword in hand...

 **"Yeah, show what you're made of."** Huh? That's weird... For a minute there, I thought I heard a voice. But it sort of sounded familiar?

* * *

 **Hello, everyone, this is, Proxy sage here. I know th** **is chapter was a bit longer than usual, but I had to fit all this in, including the date between Kazuki and Fuuka.**

 **I'm also gonna start doing time skips from now on so I won't make filler chapters. Also, I will pull up Kazuki's Persona stats after it fully manifest.**

 **One more thing, I'm working on fixing all the mistakes in the last five other chapters, so it's gonna take a while for me to get done with chapter 7.**

 **With all that said, thank you for reading and please comment and favorite this fanfiction.**

 **Until chapter 7, see ya later.**

 **Bonus: Last minute prep time.**

 **4/23 Thu, Iwatodai dormitory, Evening**

 **Kazuki: Yuka-chan, thank god you're here.**

 **Yukari: You sound desperate, Kei-kun, what happened?**

 **Kazuki: I need to ask you something.**

 **Yukari: On what?**

 **Kazuki: Okay this is a hypothetical question.**

 **Yukari: Hypothetical, got it.**

 **Kazuki: Alright, so hypothetically speaking, I'm going to hang out with a girl on Sunday and-**

 **Yukari: No way, you already have a girlfriend!**

 **Kazuki: WHAT, no!**

 **Yukari: Why do you sound offended?**

 **Kazuki: I'm not offended!**

 **Yukari: Sure you aren't.**

 **Kazuki: Okay back to the matter at hand.**

 **Yukari: Okay continue.**

 **Kazuki: I'm gonna hang out with a girl on Sunday and I was wondering if you knew any good places?**

 **Yukari: hmmm, maybe "Chagall café."**

 **Kazuki: And where is that?**

 **Yukari: ...At Paulownia mall.**

 **Kazuki: Alright thanks.**

 **Yukari: Why are you thanking me, I thought this was hypothetical?**

 **Kazuki: It is.**

 **Yukari: Sure it is.**

 **Kazuki: It is!**

 **Yukari: Whatever floats your boat.**

 **Kazuki: It does float my boat because it is hypothetical...are you even listening to me!**

 **Yukari: Don't worry, I'll keep this "Hypothetical" date of yours a secret, especially from Stupei.**

 **Kazuki: I...umm...*sigh* thank you.**

 **Yukari: You're welcome.**


	7. The second test

Port island station, Dark Hour

I found myself staring at the moon, for some reason, it looks cracked in the Dark Hour. But...

"Doesn't the moon look like a giant egg or cheese?" I was kind of hungry. "Yeah...it kinda does, doesn't it," Jun agreed. "Umm, Kei-kun are you...okay?" "Of course I am, why?" "It's just...you're starting to act like this idiot over here." "Oh, I'm sorry." "Huh," Jun muttered. "Since it's you, Kei-kun I'll let it slide." "Thank you." "No problem." "Come on!That's not fair!" Jun stated.

Varoom* *Varoom* "Whoa, did ya hear that?" Whatever Jun heard, it's getting closer. When I look over to where the noise is coming from, I saw something coming in at a fast pace. I prep my sword just in case. I saw who was coming at us. It was Mitsu-chan; on her bike.

She hit the brakes and the bike makes a loud screeching sound. (fatal to eardrums). "OWW, my ears!" "Takeba, what happened to Kazuki?" "I don't know (Your bike probably destroyed his eardrums)?" "I'll tend to Kazuki," Makoto volunteered "Okay, Yuki. I'll have Takeba fill you in on the details of the mission after I tell her." "Okay, Kazuki, come over here, I'll heal your ear." "WHAT!?" "Oh my..."

Monorail, Dark Hour

"So the shadow is on this train?" "Yeah, Mitsuru-senpai said she found it in the first cart." "I see...thank you, Yukari..."

"All right, I think we should start heading in now," Makoto said alright, I'll go up first." Yuka-chan climbed the ladder but stopped midway and looked over at me. "Hey, Kei-kun..." "Yo." "Can you make sure these two don't see up my skirt." "Yes, ma'am!" I covered Jun's eyes with his hat and I just flat-out covered Mako-Kun's eyes with my entire arm. And I look down at the rails. "HEY, what are you doing, man!?"

10th/11th Carriage, Dark Hour

I look around inside the train; it's empty... Except for the coffins.

"Everyone in this train must've transmogrified. ...Kinda creepy if you ask me," I stated. "Yeah... You can say that again," Yuka-chan add. "Everyone, let's get moving." "Gotcha ya, Mako-kun." I drew out my blade and we proceed down the cart.

Before I even took a step, I felt a sudden stinging sensation in my head "Argh!" My head was killing me, it felt like it was gonna split right open. "Kei-kun, are you okay," Yuka-chan asked. I heard a sort of noise, it was like static, but it was like the static was blocking out something, but I could still kind of hear it through the static.

" _Kazuki!"_ I finally snapped out of it and a bit of clarity came back to me. "Wha... What happened," I mumbled. _"You weren't moving, what happened,"_ Mitsuru asked. "Um, nothing, just a sudden headache..."

Then, all of a sudden, the doors to the train closed. "The hell!?" I try to pry the door open with my sword, but it was a bust. "Damn, no use!" "It's okay Kazu-chan, just let the great Junpei handle this." He cracked his knuckles and stretched his arms. "Jun, you might not want to do that!" "Relax, I got this..."

6th/7th Carriage

"Ow, ow, ow!" "That's why I told you not to do that." "This is nothing." "Nothing is getting punched, not having your fingers bent," I stated. "How is that comparable?" "Just is..."

We proceed down the whole car... *Thud* A shadow dropped in front of us. "We encountered an enemy!" Makoto reported to Mitsuru. _"I noticed, but I also noticed that it's not immediately attacking."_ I'm gonna say that's not normal for them. The shadow left car. "Hey, it's getting away, we need to go after it," Junpei urged us. "No, we need to be careful on this one," Makoto suggested. _"I agree, we shouldn't rush this."_ Junpei ran in front of us. "Forget that, we don't need your advice!" He was about to run ahead of us but I grabbed his jacket sleeve. "Wha...?" "Calm down. If you go by yourself, you might get attacked by more than just that one," I had told him. "Then what, you want it to get away!?" "No, that's why we should do this in a different way." _"How so,"_ Mitsuru asked.

"Mako-chan, you're right - we need to be careful, however, slowly following behind it doesn't really sound as effective. Plus we are running on borrowed time." I had thought about this nearly on the fly, but I do agree with Junpei...

"So what you're suggesting," Makoto said. "Easy, two people go on ahead and the rest stay behind "Exactly...if it's okay with you and Mitsu-chan, of course?" "It sounds risky but not bad, not bad at all... You have my permission." "Mitsu-chan..." " _Just don't go in alone_." "I didn't plan to..." I look over to Jun. "Can I count on you?" "I'm your man!" "Cool, everyone else, stay one car behind us when we're trying to find the shadow."

Jun, me, and everyone else set out after the shadow.

4th/5th Carriage

Jun and I almost reached the 3rd car, so far, we hadn't seen any shadows pop up yet. *Thud* "Huh!?" I saw multiple shadows behind us, and some shadows in front of us. And upon that, the train started moving. "Whoa, what the hell!?" " _What's going on!" "_ The train started moving," I had told her. " _What!"_ The shadows started attacking with Agi and Bufu spells. "Crap, this is bad!" ...We need to get the situation under control.

"Junpei...!" "I already know what you're gonna say, Let's go!" Junpei and I charge towards the shadows.

I Almost reach the enemy. I raised my sword above my head, ready to fight. "Ahh!" *Thud* I had fallen forward. "What was that? Huh?" I noticed something, the was train started moving even faster! "Kei..." "I know, Makoto, the train is speeding-up!"

"Mitsuru-san, why is the train going faster?" _"It must be because of the shadow in the first car!"_ What, so they can drive trains now?

 _"Everyone listen: you need to stop the train immediately...!"_ "What's the emergency, Mitsuru-san," Makoto asked. " _You have to make haste on stopping the train, or it will crash into the other train 4-5 minutes ahead!" "_ What, you serious senpai!" "This can't be happening!" Junpei and Yukari were panicking, hell, I am right now. However, Makoto seemed as calm as ever. Damn it, with this new situation we only have three options. One: we fight all the shadow's here, but we would waste 3-4 minutes fighting these things. Option two: we all hope we don't die when the train crashes. But that's too much of a coin toss, and I cannot guarantee the safety of the other passengers. So, I'm counting on option 3!

" _Kazuki, where are you going!"_ "I'm gonna stop this train myself!" "Kei-kun that's insane," Yukari told me. "I know, but we don't have time!" "You want me to come with ya," Junpei offered. "No, just stay here and kick some ass! Makoto!" "Yes!?" "Keep them safe while I'm gone!" "Understood!"

I made a run for it, to the first car... I needed to hurry!

1st carriage

I entered the first car, and what I saw left me in awe. "Okay, What in the shit are you!"

I didn't know what I'm looking at. It appears to be a half-naked shadow; the weird part is how the shadow looks too much like a woman.

 **"*Chuckle*"** "What you laughing at!" **"You...will...die...here...Kazuki~."** "How does it know my name?" **"Come...to...me."**

It flings ice right at me... "Persona!" The left-arm destroyed the ice, but not without me getting cut on my arm. "I don't know how you know my name, but I do know one thing; It's showtime!" **"Fine...then... Come ...my...minions!"** two other shadows appear, they seem strong. Tch, whatever!

One of the shadows came at me, I put my sword to my side, waiting for the shadow to get near me. I saw fire forming in front of it... "Crap!" I rolled out of the way the moment it came flying towards me. "Bring it!" I run straight towards the shadow and I cut it apart. **"What...are you...doing, kill him!"** "Don't feel bad, just stop the train and I'll let you get a free hit in." **"How about...I kill you by making the train go faster...instead."** "That doesn't scare me one bit!" **I wonder how that, Fuuka girl will react to your death."** What did it just say?

 **"Did you hear me, I just said-"** "Shut up!" I ran towards the shadow. **"Predictable"** The other shadow was standing in my way to defend the bigger shadow. "Out of my way...!" The shadow in front of me cast a Bufu and was heading towards me. I roll out of the way. But that didn't stop the shadow from slamming me against the wall. "ARRGH" **Did that hurt?"** "Why you...!" I summoned my Persona. **"That's your Persona? Ha, what a joke!"** "We'll see who's laughing when I'm done kicking your ass!"

The shadow tried to hit me with a spell but I didn't allow it to finish. I had my Persona punch it. The shadow was sent back flying. **"How hurtful of you, you hurt my poor child."** She had created a new shadow. "Sorry about that." **"But, if you thought you were a heavy hitter, then you haven't seen what real damage is."** "Oh no, you don't!" I ran for the shadows in front of me. **"Now, do it...!"** The two shadows began to form ice spells in front of themselves. **"Mabufu!"** When the shadow unleashed its attack, the whole car became freezing cold. "Shit this is bad!" My limbs were beginning to feel numb; I couldn't move too either. The blizzard was too strong, I was sent flying towards the car door. With my back and pain and my whole body getting and colder, this was a hard spot with a no good way out. "Don't tell me... This is..." **"That's right, this is the end. For all of your friends, and you..."**

"No, this can't be the end, I can't accept it... I just can't...!" **"Too bad, so sad."** I was beginning to fade in-and-out of consciousness. Maybe this is as far as I go; maybe I wasn't cut out for this. "Sorry, Fuuka, Naoya. This is as far as I go..." My eyes were beginning to feel heavy... My mind was about to go blank until... **"Kei, giving up so soon."** "Huh?" That voice. It belonged to Naoya. **"Get back up again."** The blizzard was subsiding, I was still laying against the door. "What the hell am I doing!?" **"Huh?"** "What the hell am I doing! I need to get back up; I don't have time to waste here... I need to stop this damn train!"

I got back up, despite my limbs being frozen-over. "I can't die, not yet!" **"Then I will make you perish with my own hands!"** I gripped my sword with my arms still feeling like crap, I ran towards the shadows in front of me... **"Kill him!"** The shadow was moving towards me with ice forming in front of them again. "Get out of my way!" I summoned the arms again and I had them punch at the shadow rapidly this time. **"How dare you kill my child!"** I didn't come up with a response, instead, I just ran for the shadow. **"FREEZE TO DEATH!"** It cast Mabufu on me, but this won't be like what happened last time it used it on me. I jumped at the shadow, moving against the icy wind. Now's my chance!

"PERSONA!" The moment my Persona's fist made contact with the shadow's face, it was over. "PERSONA, SPAM BASH!" My Persona was punching fast enough to make the fist seem like they were dark-blue blurs. The shadow was trying to blast me with another ice spell, but I was doing too much damage for it to do that now. Its endurance was good, I'll give it that, but it wasn't enough... "Finish it!" My Persona delivered the finishing blow, right through its chest. **"*Gasping* You little...piece of...shit...!** The shadow started falling apart. It had dispersed into a black mist. Good, now I only have one more job: stopping this train! I moved around the shadow trying to reach the controls for this train, I don't have much time left...!

I ran over to the controls, I looked all over the place to see what to press or to pull. I saw a lever, I grabbed it and pulled it downward immediately.

The train came to a screeching halt. I had closed my eyes as the train was near colliding with the other train.

When I opened my eyes up, seeing that I was still alive and the windshield was still intact. Holy crap, I did it! "I...actually did it!" I fell back to the floor, relaxing my whole body. "I DID IT!"

I heard several footsteps approaching from behind me. "Yo, you stop the train!?" It was everyone else, they were all okay (minus some of their bruises).

"Kei-kun, your whole body!" "I'm fine though." "No, you aren't fine! I need to heal you, now!" Yukari seems like she wasn't gonna take no for an answer. "Fine, guess I'll let the team nurse heal me." "Team nurse?" "What, I thought everyone else thought the same?" "No, I don't feel like it's a bad thing, but..." Yukari pointed over to Jun. "(To himself) If she is the team nurse, then she's gonna need a nurse outfit! And it has to show-off the goods!" "You see what I mean?" "I definitely see it." Jun should use his indoor voice...

Makoto came over to us. "Kei..." "Yeah..." "That was a pretty risky idea you executed!" "I'm sorry. I should've brought you along" "No, that wouldn't have worked out, there were quite a lot of them." "So, I made the best call." "Yes, You knew we didn't have many options, so you chose a risky, yet, the only option that was present at the moment." " _Yuki, what are you saying! If Kazuki wasn't lucky, he could've died,"_ Mitsuru interjected _._ "You're right, but yet, luck is a fundamental aspect to a fight, so I see nothing wrong with it" Makoto had shrugged. "And if Kazuki stayed and helped us fight off the shadows from earlier, we wouldn't have made it in time stop the train in time. _"I see...I guess might be right. Kazuki I'm sorry, I thought what you did was rash, but it turned out to be the best course of action in that situation."_ "It's alright. To be honest, I had some doubts, too."

I look at everyone. I'm glad - no, happy that everyone is all right. And with that being said...

"Okay, everyone, I think it's time to get going. I think we have 20-19 minutes left in the Dark Hour," I stated. "Dude, you wanna get something to eat then? Ya know, before the Dark Hour ends," Jun suggested. "Yeah, I'm down. Fighting in the Dark Hour makes a man hungry to death," I accepted. "Makoto, you up for it," Jun asked him. "I am a bit famished... Sure, I'll tag along." "All right." Jun pumped his fist. "Yuka-tan..." "Normally, girls don't eat in the middle of the night," She replied. "Please, Yuka-chan, it'll be twice as fun if all of us dined together." I pleaded. "Fine, I guess I can go for something to eat. But, I'm only gonna eat a bit and that's it!" "Then it's settled..."

We all started making our way out of the first car, **"Wait..."** "Huh?" I look behind me to find the shadow was still alive. **"Aren't you...going to...finish me?"** "Nah, you'll probably die off soon anyway." **"Pretty cruel of you** **, huh? Well, whatever. I wanted to tell you something interesting."** "Fine, the least I can do is hear you out, but let me ask you something." **"What..."** "How do you know my name, also how do you know who Fuuka is?" **"I have my sources."** "Who is your source?" **"...My master."** A master?

"Okay then, what were you gonna say earlier?" **"...You know that Fuuka girl you're sweet on..."** "Yeah, what are you getting at?" **"Let's treat this as a hypothetical:** **If you knew she was able to move around in the Dark Hour, but better yet, if she had a Persona, and finally but not least, your team discovers this - how would you go about it?"** "I, don't know... But I don't want her to be involved in this any way possible." **"Then you're lucky it's only hypothetical."** "Good thing I am." **"Hehehe, You really are."**

I got up from the floor and moved towards the exit. **"Everybody has a secret...everybody... Sooner or later, yours will show itself..."** After that, the shadow melted into nothing. I looked at the shadow one last time before leaving. "Everybody has a secret... You don't need to tell me that."

I started walking on the Monorail bridge, I'm still kind of disturbed by what the shadow said earlier; regarding the fact, it knew about Fuuka and me. But how did it know who we are? It said it had a master, but who exactly is that things master? All of this was giving me a headache, and a stomachache...

?/?, Unknown

"Kei Kazuki, we meet again." I opened up my eyes to find Philemon. And upon that, we were both standing on the rooftop of a building. I looked around my surroundings, and all I saw were buildings. They look ordinary, but that's the thing; they're just ordinary, there's nothing different about any of the buildings except height.

"You're probably wondering what this place is," Philemon asked me. "Umm, I am, actually." "Well, this is the sea of your soul." "SEA!" After realizing this, my lungs start getting filled with water. "Kazuki, calm down, this isn't real water." Immediately after Philemon said that, all the water that was filling my lungs was gone.

"Are you all right," "Yeah, I'm fine." "Good, I have many important details to tell you, so I'll keep this brief." He had changed postures.

"As I said before, there were gonna be more test coming, this was the second one." "These tests, how many more are there?" "I do not know." "Really...that's a shame." Didn't expect a straight answer that easily. "So then tell me this: are the shadows apart of these test!?" "Yes, they are." "Alright then, let me ask you something else: did you tell them about a certain person!?..." "Fuuka Yamagishi..." "Did you!?" "No." "Can I trust you?" "Yes." I believe he's being sincere about his response. "Fine, I'll give you the benefit of a doubt." He had nodded.

"Wait, how do you know about Fuuka anyway?" "Hmm. In a sense, you can say I am connected to everybody on this planet." "I see... Now, I have one more question before I leave." "Yes..." "Why are we here...?" "I'm only able to maintain that place within the Dark Hour," he stated. "So how did you get inside my soul?" "As I said before, I am connected to everybody." "Oh...okay."

Philemon looks up to the sky... "Our time seems to be up, I should let you leave now." "Okay." "Goodbye, for now, Kei Kazuki." "Goodbye, Philemon." Like before, everything started to shroud in darkness until I couldn't see anything anymore...

4/10 Su, Iwatodai dormitory, Kei Kazuki's room, Morning

I opened my eyes to a ray of light hitting my face. Is it morning...? I do remember getting something to eat with everyone. (minus Mitsu-chan and Kio). After that, I became full, then, I came back to my room and went to sleep, without changing out of my uniform... "*Yawn* I must've been really tired..."

Today's Sunday, right. Well...I have nothing better to do, I might as well do it. I got out of bed and I take out the notes I jotted down in some of my notebooks, and some notes Fu-chan helped me make.

I sat down at the desk, and I began studying for my most dreaded enemy of all... Midterms! This is gonna be a long day.

* * *

 **Hello everybody, Proxy's saga here, and I know what a fraction of people must be saying, "Two chapters two days in a row." Well one: you're not wrong. And two: I was able to get this done faster than chapter 7 because the whole Priestess shadow thing was originally apart of, chapter 6. But I thought the chapter was long enough, so I just took the parts where they arrived at the station, and when they encountered the shadow. So that made the process of writing this chapter go faster than expected. ...With that being said (I use that to often) The next chapter will build up to something juicy. Welp, until the next chapter; see ya**


	8. I'm sorry

5/11 Mon, Gekkoukan high, 2-E, Afterschool

After an oh so very boring day of school, I began to wake up from my nap.

"Kazuki-kun..." I looked over to who was calling my name, but I already knew who it was. "Good morning, Fu-chan... How are ya?" "It's the evening, Kazuki-kun." "Really? Well in that case, Good evening."

I got up from my desk... "So, do you want to go somewhere Fu-chan?" "Sorry, not today, I need to study for midterms." I actually didn't expect her to turn down my offer. "Seriously? Come on, you're already smart enough, you study anymore you'll leave me in the dust." She laughed at my joke. "I'm sorry, but I do need to study. It's important to review what I might forget." "You might forget? I didn't really think you forget things; I always thought of you with a mind of steel? "Not really, but I do have an easy time remembering things." "Really, then in that case, how about I study with you?" "Stu-Study...together!?" Fu-chan started blushing after repeating what I said. "Yeah, I I tried to study on my own, but it got pretty boring, and I tried asking others in my dorm, but some of them refused, one of them can't, help me at all, and two others seem like they'll grill me until my brain is dead."

I heard how smart Mitsu-chan is and she might be able to help me. But if I add in her commanding attitude, she might be totally strict about it! So that was a hard pass. "Oh, then I guess I can help you." "Sweet, let's head over to the library then." "...to the library?" "Well of course, where else can we study." "Oh, yes!" Fu-chan seemed pretty unfocused today, or maybe she likes to study by herself?

"We don't have to go if you don't want to, I'll try something else." "No, I want to help you." "Are you sure...?" "I'm sure." "Alright, if I'm not bothering you, then let's go."

We grabbed our bag and then made our way to the library...

Gekkoukan high library, Afterschool

After half an hour of studying, we both decided to take a break. Thank god, I think my brain was gonna self-destruct.

"Um...Kazuki-kun..." "Yeah..." "I was wondering..." "Ask away."

She fiddled with her fingers for a bit. "Lately, I've been concerned for Moriyama..." "Do you mean Natsuki." "Yes." "Why for?" I don't know why she cares about what happens to Natsuki; it still bothers the hell out of me. "I heard Mr. Ekoda talking to himself about expelling Moriyama." I don't see anything wrong with that. "But why do you care?" "Because I don't want her to be expelled." "Are you serious! Why for!?" "Because I feel obligated." "Obligated...why? Why do you feel responsible?" "It's kinda hard to explain, but I feel like I need to help her." I don't get it, why does she want to help a person like her!?

"Kazuki-kun, could you, by any chance, help me," she pleaded "I...um..." I don't know if I should help or not. "I'm...um...not sure. You have to give a bit of time. I need to think about this." "Oh...I see." "I'm sorry, I'm just confused on what I should say." "Okay..." I should help her, and normally I would, but I don't want to help someone that bullies her.

"Well then, do you want to continue studying," Fuuka had asked. "Sure..." The both of us continued studying but in silence.

Yamagishi household, evening

I was going over the notes I had for the exams, but I couldn't focus on that, only on Moriyama-san, and her situation. I tried to tell her, but she said she didn't care. *Sigh* I have no idea what to do. I wanted to do it on my own but it turned out I needed it. And that didn't turn out well. I can tell how Kazuki-kun feels about Moriyama-san, nonetheless, I thought if I asked he would at least give me some advice, but that didn't turn out right. I head-planted the desk.

'I'm such an idiot!" I didn't want to make Kazuki-kun feel uncomfortable or pressured him. Its just...he's such a nice warm and friendly person, and I... For a moment, I pictured him in my mind, smiling. I shot up from my desk. My cheeks were heating up, I felt pretty embarrassed by the fact. And this isn't the only time, too. I would see him in my dreams as well, though, I find myself not being able to figure out the details of the dreams... But I'm very fond of these dreams; they make me feel warm inside...

"*Sigh* I can't focus." He just keeps popping into my mind. ...I wonder how he's doing now? I hope he's feeling alright.

Iwatodai dormitory, Lounge, Evening

I returned to the dorm feeling mentally exhausted. ...Studying for that long would nearly kill a man. I saw Mako-kun sitting on the couch, facing the TV. I went over to him. "Yo," I greeted him. "Hey Kazuki, you're pretty late." "Yeah, I was studying with a friend, what about you?" "Huh, I didn't study, I was helping someone else study." "Ah, that's cool...that's sweet."

I was twiddling my thumbs. "I'm just gonna go," I blurted out. "Kazuki, you okay." "Huh...yeah, I'm fine, why?" "I only asked because you have a weird look on your face." "Weird, I didn't think my face was weird," I said, covering my face with my hoodie. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean weird, but you do have a look about you." I sat down on the couch, putting down my hood. "All right, I'll tell you, just don't talk about this with anyone else." "I won't."

I sighed to myself, not out of drowsiness, but to relax.

"You see, today a friend of mine asked me for help on something." "I don't see the problem." "Well, because I didn't finish yet," I pouted. "Sorry, continue." "...My friend asked me to help her convince someone to stop acting like a delinquent." "You do want to help, right?" "Normally I would want to help my friend, but this person my friend wants to help was harassed by this person last year and this year." "I see..." I stretched my legs out and put my hands on my chest. "So I'm feeling conflicted about this whole thing. I want to help but on the other hand, I don't really care if she gets expelled. But either way, I need to decide what to do. What do you think?"

Mako-kun put his hand on his chin and closed his eyes...

"Hm, I could tell you what to do, but instead of doing that, how about you decide for yourself." "If I could, I would've done that by now." "Then I might as well tell you this: do what your heart tells you." "Hm?" I raised an eyebrow from his advice. "I know its a bit overused but its true. Your heart knows you best and it'll never fail you." "My heart...?" I plant my hand on my chest, at my heart. A phone went off, Mako-kun took his phone out. "I'm sorry but I need to take this," Mako-kun told me. "O-okay." He got up from the couch and went upstairs. After a few minutes of reflecting on his words, I went up to my room. I changed clothes and slammed myself on my bed. I thought about what my heart wanted while I was trying to drift off into sleep...

5/23 Sa, Gekkoukan high, Afternoon

Today is the last day of midterms, and I can't say that I'm not glad that it's over. I looked at the paper in front of me. Surprisingly, I was actually able to remember most of the answers I studied. I guess I am a bit of an academic after all.

"All right, times up, put your pencils down: the test is over. I repeat: the test is over."

Gekkoukan high, 2-E, Afterschool

Midterms are finally over and I'm a free man from studying...for now.

Fu-chan turned around on her desk. "Kazuki-kun." "Yo." "How did you do on your Midterms?" "I think I did okay, what about you?" "I think I also did okay." "Come on, Fu-chan, you don't need to be modest; you probably did awesomely," I ejected. "You think so?" "I know so." I gave Fu-chan a thumbs-up

After that, we quietly prepared ourselves to leave. I put my bag on my seat and turned my head to Fu-chan.

"Fu-chan, can I talk to you for a moment." "Yes?" "...About you asking me to help you with Natsuki." She twisted her hair with her fingers. "Kazuki-kun, I decided you don't need to help me, I can-" "...I'm gonna help you." "Huh!?" Fu-chan looks at me with a shocked look on her face. "Really? But you really don't." "No, I want to. I lightly pat my chest where my heart with the side of my fist. "My heart told me to, so I got your back," I stated. Fu-chan's eyes beamed. shining brightly. "Thank you, Kazuki!" Fuuka lunged herself at me, wrapping her arms around my chest; hugging me. "Umm...F-fu-chan, I think you're a bit-" I stopped in my tracks, realizing that Fu-chan's head is on my chest... It feels...nice.

Suddenly, Fuuka separates herself away from me, she was blushing like crazy. "I...um...we...were... I'm sorry!" "No, It's alright." "Are you sure," she nervously asked. "Of course..." Put my hand on the exact position of where Fuuka's head was on my chest... I feel some type of warmth around it.

"Fu-chan, I noticed something else you did out of the ordinary..." "What was it?" "You said my last name without saying -kun." "Oh, I-I'm s-sorry," she stammered. "You apologize too much, even over the little things." "Um, okay, but I'll still call you Kazuki-kun." "Fine by me."

I pull out my phone and looked at the time. I think we should start going home. "Hey, Fu-chan, I think we should start going home." "Yes, I think we should." Fuuka leads the way as the both of us were exiting the school...

I still had a hand on where Fuuka had her head on my chest, it felt nice. However, there was another feeling that was rising in my chest. It was a weird feeling, but I felt happy about it... I try to catch up to the petite figure in front of me.

Iwatodai dormitory, Lounge, Evening

I entered the dorm in a great mood, I was able to possibly pass my midterms and help Fu-chan. Things were turning up from here. I saw everybody (except Mitsu-chan) at the table in the kitchen. "What's going on guys," I asked. "Didn't you know, Kei-kun. Akihiko-senpai has healed up!" "Really, that's great!" "Dude, that's not even the best part," Jun shouted. "What's the best part then?" "We're getting a new member," he exclaimed. "Really, who?" My curiosity was piqued, not every day we get new members. "I'm about to show you all." Kio put a folder on the table. "Wha-" When Akihiko opened the folder and revealed who it was, my mind went totally blank.

"Maaaan, she is too cute, what's her name," Junpei asked. "Fuuka Yamagishi," I said, too shocked to even emote it properly. Everybody eyed me with baffled stares. I put my elbows on the table while hanging my head over the file... "This can't be happening," I silently told myself. "Yeah, you're in 2-E as well," Yukari pointed out. " Ohoho! Kazu, do me a huge favor and try and recruit her!" "No." "What, why not, you have to," Junpei demanded. "I said I won't," I said, my voice rising in anger. "Come on don't be-" "SHE'S NOT JOINING THIS DAMN TEAM!" Everyone looked at me, shocked by my outburst. "Kei must have his reasons for her not joining, let's respect it," Makoto stated. "Ahh, man, if she joined, I would've given her some private lessons~" Something in me snapped, I couldn't take it anymore, I just...

*Thump* I punched Junpei in the face, down to the floor. "Kei-kun, I what are you doing!?" "(Groaning) What the hell was that for," Junpei growled at me. He got up from the floor and grabbed me by the collar. "I want you to forget Fuuka joining this team, because it's not happening." I grabbed his hands by the wrist. I squeezed them tightly enough for him to wince in pain and to lose his grip. "And if you think about going against what I just said... **I'LL BREAK YOU!** **"** The whole room went silent, no one dared speak a word... **"Does anybody have issues with what I just said!?"** I felt this violent urge, something that was out of my control; it wasn't like being angry, this was something else... Yukari began stepping back away from the table, but midway she tripped over herself. I then saw that I snapped out of my rage induced frenzy...

"Okay, that's enough! Kei, let go," Akihiko demanded.

" _(Echoing) Stay away from us, you freak_!" A sudden memory striked in my head. "AGHHH!" My head is in pain; like it was gonna split open. After a second, the pain subsided. I took a look up and all I saw is everybody looking at me... **In fear.**

"I'm...I'm...!"

I ran upstairs to my room without saying anything to anyone.

"What happened to me out there, I didn't mean to hit Junpei but I couldn't control it" I can explain why I got angry at Junpei, but I didn't want to hit him.

"*Sniffle* Damn it!" I hit my bed with my fist. "Not again!

5/29 Fri, Iwatodai strip mall, Evening

I find my self holding a bag full of food... I was feeling starved. I also went out to get a bunch of medical supplies for Tartarus tonight.

For six days now, everybody in the dorm acted as if the other night didn't happen, minus Junpei; he was still pissed at me and Yukari was still startled by me. Every time I tried to talk to them, they got away from me immediately, and they looked at me like I was some sort of monster. Huh, doesn't that feel familiar... I've been keeping my self away from Fuuka so she wouldn't get caught up in the Dark Hour, and SEES.

"Tch, why the hell do I have to go through this? Why do I have to feel shitty!?" I crushed a can in my hand. I threw it to the ground and I kicked it. "Damn it!"

I took my phone out to see the time 12:03 P.M... "*Sigh* It's like, Mikage-cho all over again."

I noticed I got a message from someone; it's from Fuuka. I stared at the name for a while. She can move within the Dark Hour, and on top of that, she might have a Persona... Damn it, I didn't want this to happen. I knew something was off about that shadow on the train, going on about hypothetical questions! (I must be the biggest dumbass not to even

I open the message for full display... "What the-" I read the message in a heartbeat, and I can't believe what I'm reading. " _Kazuki-kun, I'm locked in the gym storage closet...! please, help me!_ " I feel like I'm about to have a heart attack and the Dark Hour is going to begin soon! I have to get there!

Gekkoukan high, gym, Midnight

I made my way into the school by slicing up the door; Had no time to picklock the door. "FUUKA, ARE YOU HERE!? FUUKA...!" Damn, I'm running out of time... Please, answer me!

"(In a horsed voice) Kazuki...kun?" I look over to the gym closet... "FUUKA, I'M HERE...JUST HOLD ON!" I only have a few seconds, I won't be able to get her out of here in time. I have to get this door open... I have no choice. "Fuuka, stand back!" I hack the door in halves. I take out my phone to check the time. I only have... **FIVE SECONDS!** I don't have time at all! "Screw it!" I got inside the closet and I held on to Fuuka as tight I can. "Kazuki...kun..."

At that moment, the Dark Hour began...

I didn't want this to happen to her. "I'm so sorry, Fuuka."

 **Kazu-chan was scary in this chapter and honestly, I been planning how to do this chapter for a while now. I hope I did a pretty good job with Kazu-chan's reaction to Fu-Fu-chan not being in a coffin during the Dark Hour. Also, I've been waiting to write this chapter for far too long, but the next chapter... Oh my goodness, I'm goosebumps even thinking about writing it. The next chapter will feature a very special resident of Tartarus, it's gonna be fun on a bun. Until then; see ya.** **P.S. I sort of updated the part going into depth about Fu-Fu-chan and Kazu-chan's childhood in chapter 10 due to how chapter 9's progress is going.** **Until the next chapter; see ya.**


	9. Hours together part 1

Tartarus, FL ?, Dark Hour

I open my eyes to see where I was at... upon doing that, I look down to find that Fuuka is nestling her head into my chest. This, in turn, is making me blush...a lot. Crap now's not the time for this. "Fuuka, Fuuka... Please wake up!" I started to worry. What if- No, I need to see if she's alive... I would check her heartbeat but... Instead, I check her pulse, she seems to still be alive. Good.

"Kazuki...kun..." "Fuuka, I'm right here, can you hear me!?" "Is...that...you?" "Yeah, it's me!" "You're here...I'm so...glad." "You're gonna be fine." I Look all over her body and I found a few bruises on her legs... What the hell happened to her, who did this to her?

Well, in any case, we're in Tartarus for god knows how long, But I'm certain the others will be here soon. So until then, we need to hold out. Although if we stay in the same exact position for far too long, shadows might find us... So I slipped the bags of medicine and food onto my arms, then, I picked her up (bridal-style). "Okay, Fuuka, I'm gonna get you somewhere safe, Okay...?" "O...kay."

I don't know who did this to you, but when I figure out who did, they'll pay!

I lay Fuuka down to the ground, then I pull out some of the medical supplies I have. I wrapped bandages around the bruises, on her legs... What happened to her? I see a bruise on her hand too. A thought ran through my mind: what if there were more injuries that I can't see!? I rolled up her sleeves to find a bunch of bruises on her arms. "My god..." I started wrapping bandages around her arms...

"Don't worry, when the others get here, Yuka-chan can heal all your wounds, so your gonna be alright." I finished wrapping the bandages around her arms, now all I could do is wait for her to wake up

Hour:1

It's been an hour since we both entered Tartarus. I'm starting to grow concerned... I know she's alive, but what if she fell into a coma. If that happens, I-

"*Groan*" I look over to where the pain induced groan is coming from... "Fuuka, are you okay!?" "Kazuki...kun?" "Yeah, it's me, I'm here Fuuka!" Fuuka begins to get up, but due to the pain in her legs, that action proves to be fruitless. "Ahhh *Thud* oww, why are there bandages on my legs and arms?" "There were a bunch of bruises on your arms and legs, can you tell me why that is?" "I...don't know." "Oh, I see..." I'm just glad Fuuka didn't fall into a coma.

...

I looked around the whole area "Where are we?" "..." "Kazuki-kun..." "Tartarus..." "What in Tartarus?" "You don't need to know." "How come?" "...It is best if you never knew." Kazuki-kun is trying to keep me from knowing any more about this "Tartarus" place, other than the name.

I look at Kazuki-kun for a minute. I spot something unusual in his hands... "Why do you have a weapon Kazuki-kun!?" "So I can fight..." "Fight what?" "The monsters in this place." "Monsters!?" "Yeah." I start to contemplate the situation we're in; I start to think about the worse case scenario, but all that got interrupted when something embarrassing happened.

"*Grumble*" I cover my face so Kazuki-kun doesn't see me blushing. "Heehee, hungry~?" "Why are you laughing!" "Because it's kinda funny." "Is it really!?" "You're right, I'm sorry *Snicker*" "I can still hear you laughing!" "I'm so sorry, Fu-chan *Snicker* it's just *Snicker* too funny." "You just being mean now!"

Kazuki-kun started to settled down after a couple of seconds had passed... He gave me some food and we both started eating, he seems to be in a better mood, then he was before

"Thank you, Fuuka." "For what?" "...For reminding me, that I still have one friend here." "What do you mean?" "What I mean is- *Gasp*" "Huh, what's the matter Kazuki-kun?"

All of a sudden, I felt something coming this way. "Fuuka, listen-up! I'm gonna need you to move the stairs." "O-okay" I hid behind the stairs leading up to someplace else... I look to see Kazuki-kun drawing out his sword, the blade itself is all black. I look to see what Kazuki-kun us fighting.

"What is that!?" I can't believe what I'm seeing... There really are monsters in this place! Kazuki-kun sprinted in the direction of the monsters, he sliced a couple of them and they turned into black ooze and started melting. Kazuki-kun is fighting all by himself, and he's warding all of them off by himself; "He's amazing."

Out of nowhere, some of those monsters hit Kazuki-kun by the legs and his right arm. "AAARGH!" "KAZUKI-KUN!" He's hurt, I need to do something!

"Time for you all to have it... PERSONA!" *Beep* When I heard Kazuki-kun say that, I heard a "Beep" sound. Where did it come from? When I look back at Kazuki-kun, I saw two extra arms above his right and left shoulders... How is he doing that!? The two arms start punching like their bullets... "My goodness..." Words can't describe how impressed I am right now...

"Take it!" Kazuki-kun finished off all the monsters. "Kazuki-kun, you did it!" "Yeah, ARGH!" "Kazuki-kun!" When I reached him, I saw blood coming from his wounds... They don't appear to be deep, but nonetheless, if they don't get treated he could bleed out! (or worse!)

"Kazuki-kun, I'll get something to stop the bleeding!" "G-Got it." I bring the medical supplies from the stairs to treat him... He helped me, now I'm going to help him!

hour: 2

I was still in the process of bandaging Kazuki-kun. But before bandaging his wounds, I disinfected all the cuts on his legs and arm.

While I was disinfecting his injuries, he wasn't struggling at all when I was treating him; He seems used to pain, how come though? I also wondered why he was being distant with me.

"Kazuki-kun..." "Yeah..." "Can I ask you something... ?" "Sure." "Why were you staying away from me?" "I...can't say." "Why?" "Because I just can't tell you... I'm sorry." Kazuki-kun seems to be hurting; Not from injuries though, but by something else. "Kazuki-kun, are you hurting?" "No, I don't feel the pain anymore." "Not that pain... Kazuki, you know what I'm talking about...don't you?" "..." "Please...tell me." "Fuuka...I-"

*Rattle* *Rattle*

"No, no, no, no, not now!" "What's going on!?" Kazuki-kun turns to me in a worried way... "Listen to me! You need to pack all the medical supplies up, now!"

I nod in agreement. I started packing all the supplies in a hurry. And for whatever that rattling noise is coming from, it's getting closer. "Kazuki-kun, everything is packed!" "Good, now I need you to run to the staircase!" "What about you!?" "I'm gonna hold it off for as long as I can!" "Is it strong!?" "Yeah, it is." "What is it?" "It's the strongest shadow in this place." I see two long guns around the corner... "It's called..." I see the monster reveal itself... " **The Reaper!" "** *Roar* I shiver in fear because of what I'm seeing. And for whatever reason, I can feel it's presence; it's suffocating... "Kazuki-kun...we need to run! Do you hear me, we have to run, or it will kill us!" "I'm sorry, but I gotta buy you time to run away. Now run!" "But you'll-" "Please!"

Without saying anything else, I started moving for the stairs, but I stopped; I want to go back, I don't want him to fight it alone...

"Let's do this!" Kazuki-kun charged forward towards, The Reaper. "KAZUKI!"

...

*Clank* Its guns and my sword clash, and I gotta say, they're pretty strong to be able to withstand my sword. Mitsu-chan told me that this thing is strong, but I didn't expect this.

It hits me with a Zio attack, it seems stronger than what Makoto or Akihiko can do. I block it with my sword and Persona... "ARGH!" Damn that hurt! I see The Reaper getting ready to use more of its skills... Shit, I better start dodging! It threw a series of _Ma- skills_ at me. One-by-one, I dodged some of them by the skin of my teeth. If I wasn't able to dodge them at all, I would block them with my sword and Persona.

I halved most of the damage, but that didn't stop it from hurting tremendously... I'm tanking most of these attacks, and The Reaper looks ready to unleash a powerful attack... This is bad; if I don't do something, I'll-

All of a sudden, I see a teal colored object move in front of me... "What are you doing!? ...Fuuka!?" I watched in horror for what Fuuka was doing.

"What are you doing, I told you to run!" "I'm sorry, I can't leave you." "WHY NOT!" She turns around to me... "Kazuki, you're the nicest person I have ever met, and the only to have ever cared for me."

"What...?"

"You always helped me, even when I was just a complete stranger, just another face to you..."

"Stop."

"But that didn't stop you, no, you accepted me with open arms..."

"You don't know what you're doing!"

"...It-It made me happy. Happier than I ever felt before..."

"PLEASE DON'T!" The Reaper began to put one of its guns in the air.

"PLEASE, DON'T DO THIS!"

"So, before I die here..."

"YOU'RE NOT GONNA DIE HERE, I'M GONNA SAVE BOTH OF US, JUST DON'T DO THIS!"

"I..."

I see The Reaper pull the trigger and a bundle of energy began forming in the sky, only to descend to the ground. "STOP IT!"

"...Love you."

My heart was crumbling, everything is crumbling. ...I can't let this happen, I can't let this thing take her away, I can't lose anyone ever again! I can't... "I CAN'T LOSE YOU! FUUKA...!"

I run in front of the attack guarding her with my own life, "I WON'T LOSE ANYONE ELSE!"

I never understood why, but when I was near Fuuka...I felt happy but scared. I always wondered why until recently. But what I didn't understand was why I always wanted to help someone; save someone. I never understood why. But now...

"I WON'T LET ANYONE HURT THE PEOPLE I LOVE!"

I yell at the top of my lungs "SKEEEITH!" *Beep* I yell out my Persona's name for the time "Skeith"... It appears in front of us and guards the both of us...

I find it holding The Reaper's gun in place. The Reaper seems to be struggling to get my Persona's grip off its gun. I stand up with all the remaining energy I have left. ...A blue mist of energy surrounded me.

"Listen to me: I don't know if you're like the other shadow from the other night..." **"*Groaning*"** "It seems like you do understand me, so listen up... I don't know how many of those shadows like the one in the train there is, but I'll say this! I vow to eradicate each and every single last one of them. More importantly, the one who will do this is standing right in front of you! And his name is ** _Kei Kazuki._** " I ball up my fist...

"Skeith, show him your strength!" The Reaper tried to shot Fuuka and me with its other gun, but my Persona used its right leg to kick up the guns long barrel to the air. *Bang* "You aren't hurting anyone today. Skeith then punched the shadow in the face with great force, not enough to do damage but enough to send it flying back into the wall, stunning it in turn. This gave us a chance to run away.

"Fuuka..." I put out my hand to her. "Let's go!" "O-Okay." She takes my hand, I pull her up, and we started running towards the stairs; The Reaper won't be able to follow us there because it can't cross to where the staircase is.

While we were running I heard something behind us. " ** _KAZU-KIIIII!"_**

Hour: 3

I look over to Fuuka in concern after we both made it to the staircase on another floor. "Are you *pant* okay? *Pant*" "Mm-hmm." "Good, I'm so glad."

I feel exhausted... But more importantly, I need to ask Fuuka about what she said to me before she almost sacrifices herself. "Fuuka...before we almost got killed, you said you loved me... Did you mean it?"

She looked at me in an embarrassed way. She began to kick her feet together. "I guess I was just hearing things, huh..." "No, you weren't. I do mean it. "Re-Really!?" A funny feeling rises in my chest. The moment she says that I start to feel some sort of pull towards her.

I tried to move closer to her, but my knees the collapsed beneath the weight... *Thud* "Kazuki-kun!" "I'm fine, I just need rest for a bit." "Oh." "You seem exhausted your self? Do you wanna sit next to me?" "I...um...I...!" "I mean you don't need to." "Actually, I...don't mind"

Fuuka sat down next to me... It's gotten cold in here due to The Reaper using a Bufu skill a couple times in a row. I take off my jacket and hoodie, so I can use them as blankets. "It's warm." "Well thanks to my great and almighty hoodie, it'll keep you warm." "What about the Gekkoukan jacket?" "It has a lot of uses and it looks pretty sharp if I say so my self." "Heehee, It really does look good on you." "Thank you," I gave her a smile.

My eyes start to get heavy... I used way too much energy fighting, and I got hurt too much. Rest will do me some good

Before I fell asleep, I told Fuuka something... "Fuuka, I'm gonna sleep off the pain for a bit. But when I wake up, I'm gonna tell you everything, why I was being distant. ...And what my life was like back at Mikage-cho." "Okay." Having said all that, I start to close my eyes. I felt something clasped on-top of my hand; I think I already know what it is but I still looked down nonetheless. Her hand was on mine. This made me blush, but I wasn't embarrassed, and I have no reason to be...

?/?, The sea of Kazuki's soul

"Kei Kazuki, can you hear me?" I look around, apparently, I'm in the sea of my soul with Philemon again.

"Yo, Philemon, what you need today?" "Kazuki... We have more important things to discuss."

 **Holy crap, I pulled all the stops for the Reapers first appearance for this chapter, and it was big. And yes, Kazuki and Fuuka are a now a couple and let me say, I felt really excited writing the part where Fuuka acted as a shield between Kazuki and the Reaper. It was giving me goosebumps... Finally, Kazuki fully materialized his Persona "Skeith" of the moon arcana. The name in itself has a lot of meaning in it. Allow me to give you a description of what it looks like...**

 **Originally, when Kazuki was able to only able to summon the arms they didn't have any color; they were shaded black with a hint of blue. Now, the overall color scheme is black and white. The arms now are designed to be an entire gauntlet on, it stops at the hands. The knuckles have these iron-like, round spheres, but it's shaped to fit like a knuckle bone. Finally, there's a metal lid on its back; it appears to be holding something back. As for Skeith's stats, they will mainly focus on strength, endurance, and agility last. Other stats will be left in the wind...**

 **Other than that, the next chapter is being worked on, and this time I guarantee that it will feature Kazuki's childhood and possibly Fuuka's as well because I want to her to tell him about it at some point while they're still in Tartarus. With all that being said, please follow the story if you wanna know when I upload another chapter and leave a review to let me know what you thought of this and future other chapters. until the next chapter; see ya...**


	10. Hours together part 2

"Okay, Philemon, what you got for me, today." I look at Philemon in a curious way... "*Chuckle* You seem quite happy, even though your current situation is not favorable."

"Yeah, you're right about that." "But I'm not saying you can't survive this." "I never said that either, but I'm not the only one who's going to survive..." "Huh?" "Both Fuuka and me are gonna survive this." "*Chuckle* You're right, I'm sorry." "It's okay." Both Philemon and I look at each. It's time to get serious.

"Kazuki, there is something I need to tell you." "Go ahead." "When I told you that the shadow you fought your third day at the dorm, and the shadow on the train was a test, I lied." "What do you mean?" "Those and the rest aren't test...they're games." "What!? You think this is a game!?" "Not me, no. ...Another entity does." "What is this entity!"

"It is the darkness in everybody's heart, the madness that crawls in the darkest corners of our souls... **Nyarlathotep**." "Nyarlathotep..." "Yes, he's our prime enemy, but not our only." "What do you mean?" "I mean he has a player like you are mine, but I consider you to be a companion less than a pawn." "Um, thank you, but can you tell me more about the player." "All right, I'll explain..."

"You see, Nyarlathotep is treating this as a game, so what does a game have?" "Players obviously." "Yes, you are correct. ...Now the limited amount of players for each side is two. So in total, four players." "I see, continue." "Now each player has a secondary arcane..." "Really, does it affect anything?" "No, not really, Nyarlathotep thought it wouldn't be a game without each player having a title." "I haven't even met this guy yet and he still pisses me off." "He's quite arrogant." "Sorry, continue about these title things."

"I don't know who are the players and I don't know their titles either. He is using his power to keep me from finding out who they are." "Okay, can you at least tell me who's our second player, and our titles?" "I can tell you your titles and the most probable person to become our second player." "Great, tell me my title, then tell me the other persons title and name." "Very well."

" _Kei Kazuki, Suit of cups: Ace of cups"_

"Ace of cups," that sounds awesome Now for the probably second player

 _"Fuuka Yamagishi, Suit of cups: Queen"_

"WHAT!" "It's only a probability that she'll be the second player." "YOU CAN'T DRAG HER INTO THIS!" "Kazuki, please listen to me, yelling won't get us anywhere." He's right, yelling won't get me anywhere... So I settled down and I listened to whatPhilemonn had to say.

"Kazuki as you already know, Fuuka Yamagishi is a kind-hearted person..." "Yeah, I know..." "...But with it comes a commitment." "A commitment, to who?" "...To the people she cares about." "Why is she committed to me?" "Because you showed her something she never knew she could obtain..." "What?" "You'll have to ask her yourself." "Okay."

Philemon puts his hand on my shoulders. "Kazuki, you were hurting for far too long, and you know why." "I...I do." "So when the time comes and she's ready to obtain her Persona, let her choose her destiny; she is entitled to her own choices." "But I wanted to protect her from all this, from the Dark Hour, but I failed." "You didn't fail, you just need to do something else now." "What...?" "I think you know what that is." I thought about it for a moment... "You're right, I can still protect her. But I'll protect her from the shadows, and from whoever tries to cause harm to her." "Excellent, you really are splendid." "Thanks."

"So, Kazuki, will you allow her to be the second player?" "It's all up to her, remember." "I had a feeling you use something I said as a response." ...But I still, won't tell her about any of this." "Fair enough..."

I look around the sea, I still see all the really tall buildings... But something is different; the sea has a bit of teal in it. I look over to Philemon one last time... "All right, I'm ready to get back to Fuuka now." "Okay, I'll send you back now." "Thanks." Everything started to become shrouded in darkness.

If I can't keep Fuuka away from the Dark Hour. Then I'll protect her while we're working together...

Hour: 6

I started to wake up with a sense of relief, due to the fact that nothing attacked us yet... I look over to Kazuki-kun. He's awake... "*Yawn* Good morning, Kazuki-kun." "I don't think it's morning. It's still night time...in a way." "Oh, You're right." Kazuki-kun seems to be looking better than he was before.

"Fuuka..." "Yes..." "I told you I would tell you why I was being distant, remember?" "Yes, I do." "Well, I'm gonna need to put it on the back-burner for now, because I want to talk about my childhood." "I don't mind." "...But before that..." Kazuki-kun puts his hand on mine, and he looks at me in a worried way.

"Fuuka...when I'm done explaining everything: will you still look at me as the Kei Kazuki that's in front of you?" "Of course."

"Thank you. Before I started living with Naoya, I lived with my aunt when I was three, and until I was six." "I thought you lived with your parents?" "I...lied." "Why?" "Because my dad left my mom in 1996. ...The year she died."

"*Gasp*" I can't believe it, that's why he lied to me about his parents. "Kazuki-kun..."

"Naoya told me she died due to an unknown sickness, but that's not what other people thought..." "What do you mean?"

"...Fuuka, did you by any chance happen to come across another rumor about Mikage-cho?" I tried to remember if I did come across another rumor. Wait, I did! "I have." "What did it say." "It said something about there being demon roaming the town; showing its presence as a human being, why?"

"Because people thought that same monster killed its own mother - my mother." "Don't tell me...!?" "People called me a monster with human skin."

"But your not a monster, you're-" "Most people didn't think that though. ...For some reason, everybody saw me as a monster, something to be cautious of, and around. Whenever I was walking down the street or to class, people use to look at me with a cold, but fear filled eyes." "..." "I acted like an idiot most of the time so I wouldn't notice, but it didn't work... Everybody knew what I was by superstition, but not as a person."

Everything that happened in his life wasn't faring, he didn't deserve any of that.

"Sometimes I would return home with bruises on my face if someone decided to jump me; the more times it happened, the more I started to shut myself away from the world." I saw something coming from Kazuki-kun's face. Tears... "I just wanted other people to understand me as a person, as Kei Kazuki, was that so much to ask for. And the reason why I kept away from you was that eventually you were gonna find out what I was, and if you did, I don't know what I would do." "Kazuki-kun..."

"*Sobbing* I was scared of that fact and I only realized this whole thing when I scared almost all my team members." "Team members?" "When I looked at them, I remembered how 'they' looked at me. I started to think it was gonna be like Mikage-cho all over again. *Sobbing*...And I...I can't go back to that, I don't want to, I never want to. So when I saw you act like a shield between The Reaper and me, my heart was crumbling; I thought I was gonna lose the only person besides Naoya who ever cared about me what so ever.

I see Kazuki-kun crying. why... Why did all of that have to happen to him, why!?

"*Sobbing* But I was just being selfish, I didn't think about how you felt, only me. Haha, I really am a monster, aren't I?"

I couldn't let him do this to himself anymore. ...He's suffered long enough and I don't want him to suffer anymore. I pull Kazuki-kun head closer to my chest, and I start to rub his head...

"You are not a monster, you are, Kei Kazuki, a regular and average person..." "*Sobbing*" "I don't know why everyone saw you as a monster, but I never did nor will I ever see you as one. Besides, you could've just left me here all by myself, but instead, you came to rescue me. ...Even if no one else can see you as Kei Kazuki. I always will, and Naoya will, too. ...So don't cry anymore. *Sniffle* I don't want to see you cry... So please, know that I'm always here for you, just like you were for me."

Kazuki and me, slowly sink down to our knees, and he begins to let tears flow from his eyes and so do I... "It's *Sniffle* okay, just *Sniffle* let it all out."

"*Sobbing* AHHHHHHHHH!" I hear him scream out in pain, but I don't mind it; he's been keeping this in for far too long, he has every right to this.

Kazuki-kun wraps his arms around me and grips the back of my uniform, but I don't mind it...

"Fuuka, I didn't get to tell you this before you did, but I'm gonna say it nonetheless." He looks at me with some tears still coming out, but he seems to be getting a grip on his emotions.

"...I love you."

"I love you, too"

I hug him back and we stayed like this for a while... Kazuki-kun has been through so much, I won't allow him to proceed like that anymore. I'll be there to help him.

hour: 9

It felt like hours since we've been in Tartarus, but you know I don't feel any type of danger anymore; I feel...happy. I guess it has to be the fact that I was finally able to find someone who understood me.

I had my head on Fu-chan's lap. ...At first, Fu-chan was sort of embarrassed letting me rest my head on her lap, but she didn't mind it anymore. While I was resting, I was thinking back to what Philemon said, "Something she never knew she could obtain". What is it? I guess I should ask.

"Yo, Fu-chan, can I ask you something?" "Sure." "What was your life like, before you met me?" "..." "You don't need to answer if you don't want to." "It's all right... I'll tell you."

"My life was normal, and everything was just that 'normal'..." She was emphasizing 'normal', that's good, right? "But..." "Huh?" "I never really liked being at home." "Why not?" "Because, no one there cares about what I think, or about me at all."

"Whenever I was there, it never really felt like home; like I never belonged there at all. My parents would make me study constantly for medical school, most of the time, they would wake me up in the middle of the night just so I can study. ...My mother though, she made me feel like an inconvenience to her." It's like that every day, but it's nothing compared to what you went through, isn't it." "No one cared about what you thought and treated you wrong, not even your own parents cared for you." "Huh?" "Even if my thing was on a bigger scale, you were dejected by your own parents." "...And if Naoya ever did that to me, I don't think I would be the person I am today." "..." "Don't think you didn't have anything to do with it." "What?" "It's true, you helped me realize a lot of things. There are people who can understand me, your one and probably many more who were handed a bad hand in life. But you know what, when we get out of here, I'm gonna owe you a date." "What!"

"What's the matter, I thought we're dating now?" "We are, it's just..." "You need time to adjust, right." "Yes." "Then a date is a perfect way." "How are you sure about that?" "I'm only guessing." "That's a pretty good guess." "Thanks."

I started to stretch out arms... I see my jacket and hoodie still on the floor. I went over to pick them up. "Man, my threads got ripped." Looks like I'm gonna need to buy a new uniform jacket and pants." "It's okay Kazuki-kun, maybe you could find someone who can stitch it together?" "Maybe I can, are you that person?" "I'm sorry, I don't know how to, but maybe I should take it up." "...I heard you have to be good with your hands." "Then it's a good thing I am good with my hands." "How so?" "Ummm...you might find this weird, but I'm good with machines." "Okay." "Do you think it's not...feminine?" "Nope, it sounds like you really enjoy it ." "I do actually." "How did you get into it," I asked with a question marks in my head.

"My dad would repair speakers and headphones." "So audio devices." "Exactly. I loved watching him work while he was repairing them." "You must really like your dad." "..." "Did I say something wrong?" "Nothing, it's just I don't have a great a relationship with him right now." "Oh...sorry." "It's alright, it's not like you meant to offend."

While we were talking, I remembered something "Fuuka, since you know about Tartarus, I might as well tell about, The Dark Hour." "The Dark Hour?" "Yeah, so I need you to listen to me very carefully because this might be a bit complicated." "Okay."

We both sat down on the floor, and I look at Fuuka. I gave out sigh and I began to explain what the Dark Hour is. Once I was done with explaining everything, I started to lie down on my back... I felt stiff.

"So those monsters you were fighting are called shadows?" "Yes." "And those arms you summoned were apart of your Persona." "Yes." "But now you can fully materialize it." "Yes." "And its name is Skeith?" "Yes." "I get it, the Dark Hour is an hour in between 12:59 A.M and 1:00 A.M." "Exactly." "But during this time period, any type of machinery is unable to function." "That's the basics of, The Dark Hour." Wow, it took me by surprise she was able to wrap her head around this whole thing. I know it took me a while to...

"Wait, you mentioned something about a transporter!" "Yes, but it won't work without someone working the other end." "How come." "You see, the main transporter locks on to the other transporter in this place, but it needs to be manually handled so said person can lock on to the other transporter in this place."

"What about the transporter in Tartarus?" "No, it wouldn't work, they intercept the command signals from the main transporter, but can't issue commands from these ones. Sure we could try to rewire it to where we could have it send command signals, but we don't have the tools nor the know-how to do it."

"You seem to be right." "Yeah, besides even if we tried, I don't think we would be able to do it." "Are you sure, maybe if I tried." "No, think about it the transporters are being powered by something, but it's not by normal means." "You're right." "Besides, I don't even think we could do it, despite what tools we had." "Looks like all we can do is wait." "Yeah, let's just hope we get out of this."

We still have some food left and some medical supplies left. But it can last us forever; we need to get out of here soon, or else...

Hour: 10

Fuuka went sleep, I wanted to join her, but I needed to keep watch just in case any shadows come by. I let her use my coats as a blanket, it is still kinda cold in here.

I look at the voided hallway like an eagle until I spotted something.

"Who's there!?" I prep my sword for a fight...

A person dressed in a body suit. It was all black, and it seemed to have pockets on the upper part and on the Thighs, and a cloak to cover it. And this person appears to be wearing a mask, but there's nothing on it. (It's just all black.) Who is this guy?

"Kei Kazuki, correct?"

"Who are you!?"

"I asked you a question first, I suggest you answer it."

Yeah, I'm Kei Kazuki, now who are you!"

"I never said I would tell you my name"

"Then what do you want?"

"The 11th hour will come upon us in a couple of minutes, so before that, I like to see something..."

"What?"

"Your strength..."

"My strength?"

"Yes..."

"You want to fight?"

"Yes..."

"Why should I!?"

"I can guarantee both you will be able to get out of here."

I froze for a moment. If this person is telling the truth, then we can get out of here. And all I need to do is win! "Fine, I'll fight you!"

"Good..."

The unknown person turns around and began to lead the way away from the stairs. I look back at Fuuka, who is still asleep. ...Good, it's better if she doesn't see this.

I turn around and I followed the unknown person to our fighting ground...


	11. Kei's path

Hour:10

The both of us continued walking until we reached our destination.

"We're here." The masked person turns around, facing me. I can't tell what this person is thinking, but that doesn't matter now, I need to win this. "Before we begin, take this," The M.G. threw a katana sword at me... "I already have a sword, why are you giving me this?" "You'll need it." "Don't act so cocky!" "I'm simply trying to give you a fair chance." "A fair chance!" is this guy underestimating me and if so then, I need to show him what I'm made of! I take out both out the swords from the sheaths and I take a stance, I'm ready.

"If it's okay with you, can I put a condition on this fight." "Just as long it isn't unreasonable, otherwise go ahead." "We both can't use our Personas." "Are you for real!" "Is this a problem?" "No, not at all." "Good, are you ready?" "Yeah, I'm ready to go whenever you are."

The both of us stand in silence for what seems like an eternity. I would think this person is stalling, but no, he's giving me a bit of time to prepare. "Begin!" I ran towards the masked person, but he did move an inch. My swords clash with his sword, which was short in size. "Tch, bring it!" I started an onslaught of slash attacks, but none of them went through. ...He keeps blocking all of my attacks like it's nothing. "Are you even trying?" "I'll show you trying!"

I start slashing at his sword with the black blade. "Clink* "Very interesting, your sword, it's not normal." "What do you mean!?" "I mean there's something off about it." "What is it then!?" "I don't know, but I do know one thing." Almost in an instant, the masked person was behind me... "Wha-" "...You are merely a child with a pair of scissors."

"You bastard!" when I tried to slash him across the chest, he disappeared again. "Too slow." When I turned around behind me, something connected to my stomach. *Thumb* "Ugh!" How is he doing that!? "If you didn't have a Persona or if it didn't fully manifest, that would've hurt far more then imaginable." "*Spat* Tch, that was nothing!" "Then let us continue..."

I charge right back at him, hoping at least one attack would go through. M.G. jumps above me just to only land on my head and to kick right off of it. *Thud* "Argh!" "Damn it, fight me for real!" "...And why should I?" "Because you shouldn't underestimate me!" "There is nothing to estimate between you and me. Only distance in ability." "Why you-" *Swoosh* When I was about to strike at him, I felt a sharp sensation on my check. "ARGH" "Too slow." "Damn it!"

I started to swing all the swords in one direction, desperately trying to get a hit off on him. But nothing was working "*Pant* *pant* How are you this strong!?" "For me to know, and you to find out"

Screw this, time to get creative. I slash from both sides; he dodges by ducking down, I do an overhead kick to his head. He blocked it with his left hand with ease. He pushes my leg up in the air just a tad bit, but enough to give him enough time to sweep my left leg.

I stab one of the swords into the ground and I tried to hit him with the back of my sneaker; he moves out of the way... "You have potential, but something is blocking that potential." "What do you ya mean!?" "I could tell you, but would that really help you?" "You know what, that doesn't matter, time to end this." "Yes, I believe we are running out of time."

I back up for a last-ditch effort. "Before, you asked me to take you seriously." "Yeah, I did!" "I won't go full-on, but I will show you a fraction of it." Just like like before, we both stood in silence, waiting for me to prepare for this final clash of ours.

I leap forward towards the masked person with all the energy in my body. "TAKE IT!" "I won't need to, because..."

"The hell!?" The masked person was right next to, me in the blink of an eye "This battle is over..." After he said that, my whole body stings. I then realized why. "AHHHHH!" Blood comes right out of my body in every single direction.

I feel fresh wounds all over my entire body.

"*Pant* *pant*"

"Don't worry, I didn't hit any of your vital organs, and you'll be fine. The Dark Hour began for them, so you'll be fine."

"(Groaning) What...are you...talking about." "You'll see soon. Also..." The M.G. walks over to my sword and picks it up.

"(Grunting) That doesn't...belong to you!"

"You're right, but you are just an amateur with a powerful weapon. Sooner or later, someone is going to get hurt because you don't know how to wield this weapon. "Give it back!" "I'll only give it back when I think you deserve it, but for now, I'm taking this." "Then please, Tell me...how are you this strong, how can I get stronger than you!?" "You want me to tell you how to be more powerful than me?" "Yes..." "*Chuckle* That's a peculiar question, but out of sheer curiosity for what would happen, I'll tell you."

"I'm only gonna tell you this once, so listen"

...

...

"That's it?" "That's your only - if not, the best way for you to grow stronger" With that being said, M.G. dropped something right next to me. After that, he used some sort of crystal, then a few seconds later, he disappeared

"Damn...it!" I lay down on my back to relax my self; I didn't dare to move at all. "Damn, everything hurts so badly." I begin to feel like I was about to pass-out from all the damage I sustained. Before I did though, I head tiny footsteps coming from the staircase area...

"KAZUKI-KUN!" "Fuu...ka...?" I see her worrying about me. "Kazuki-kun, what happened to you, did the Reaper come back!?" I tried to answer her, but nothing, I couldn't speak right then, and there. It hurts, everything hurts. Everything started to fade out. I don't know what will happen next, but someone better get her out of here soon. "Kazuki-kun, KAZUKI!"

Hour: 11

I felt something small drop on my chest, something warm on. "*Sniffle*" I hear Fuuka crying; did I made her cry again. ...I'm so lame...

I put my hand on the back of her head, so I can pull her to my chest. "*Gasp* Kazuki-kun!?" "Hey, senpai, he's awake! Kazu is actually alive!" "Really, Kei, can you hear us!?" "...Yeah, Kio, I can hear loud and clear"

Everyone begins to celebrate the fact that I'm still alive.

"*Sniffle* Kazuki... *Sniffle*" "Yeah..." "*Sniffle* Don't do this to me ever again." "I promise." "You have to mean it." "I mean it." I hugged her in reassurance. I'll try to never worry her like this ever again.

"All right, now we know that the both of you are okay, we can start heading back now." "You mean we can leave this place... Oh thank goodness, you hear that Kazuki-kun, we'll be able to leave now!" I formed a smile on my face the moment I heard that. "Thank god." I tried to get up on my feet, but I just fell down immediately after trying

"*Groan*" "Kazuki-kun!"

Before I even touched the ground, Junpei caught me. "I gotcha ya."

I look at Junpei in a surprised manner. why is he helping me? "Why are you helping me?" "Whaddya mean why I'm helping you, we're pals aren't we?" "What about when I hit you, I thought you-" "Yeah, you're right, I was pissed at first. ...But when you disappeared, I got worried..." "Junpei..." "When she told us what you did to save her, I realized: I was acting like a dick... I'm sorry, dude." "It's all right, but I am sorry about hitting you." "Nah, like I said: I deserved it."

Jun and me fist-bumped each other to make up. "But dude, did you really fight the Reaper?" "The only thing I can say is, hell yeah I did!" "You are a legend man!" "I didn't do any damage. In fact, I say I did a love tap." "That's okay, man." "Guys can we get a move on." "Sorry, Kio, we can go now." We all moving towards a transporter.

"Hey, Junpei, can you let me walk on my own?" "You sure," "Yeah..." "Okay." Junpei lets me go, then I walked over to Fuuka, and I grab her hand "*Gasp*" "I'm sorry, is this...okay?" "It's-It's okay." When she gripped my hand, she squeezed it. I made her worry too much; I won't be doing that ever again

I looked at my wounds and most of them had bandages on them. "How did you guys patch me up?" "We found a bunch of stuff near ya, man." "Really?" "Yeah, someone musta' left it there for you." "Yeah..." It had to be that masked person, it couldn't have been anyone else.

"Senpai, did you notice how big the moon is tonight?" "Yeah, why..." "No reason, it just reminded me of what Kazu thought it looked like." When Jun went on about the joke It made me think about it. I started to think about the time I got slashed across the chest; I was laying down on the ground and all I saw in the sky was the moon; a Full moon.

Then I thought back to the night of the second game, there was a full moon that night, too. "Wait a minute..." "You okay Kei?" If I'm thinking about this right, then that means!

"Akihiko, we need to get out of here, and then, we need to have Mitsuru search for a shadow as quickly as possible!" "What for?" "...Because if I'm right about this, then...!"

"Huh!?" "What is it Fuuka," I asked with a serious tone. "I feel a weird presence, some of them feel human, but the others don't feel human!" "Are they shadows!?" "...I'm not sure?" Damn it, I knew it! "Akihiko...!" "I know, let's go!"

The lobby of Tartarus, Dark Hour

When we reach the lobby, we see the girls knocked out on the floor, and Makoto fighting by himself "Orpheus!" *Bang* Orpheus embedded its harp in flames to be able to find two weaknesses in one go. *Clang* "Damn nothings working!" Makoto is having a hard time finding the weakness, I gotta do something before it gets worse! I moved towards the shadows on my own. "Kei, the hell are you doing!" "I need to help Kio, I need to do something." "Get back here, man!"

I continue walking until I trip over myself. *Thud* "Damn it" "Kazuki-kun!" I try to get up, but everything was in pain, walking was a difficult task on its own. Damn it, am I really this pathetic...!

"What the hell is she doing here!?" "(Grunting) Huh," I look in front of me, and to my surprise it was Natsuki. "The hell, does she have the potential!?" "No, she doesn't...!" "(Grunting) Then what the hell is going on!"

"Fuu...ka..." "Moriyama," Fuuka looks at me for a moment... "I'm okay... Go see if she's alright." "Are sure?" "I'm sure."

Fuuka went over to, Natsuki to see if she's okay. I can't be laying on the floor like this, I need to get up!

"*Grunting* ARRRGH!" I feel some of the wounds on my legs and arms opening... Blood starts flowing down my legs and my thought my hoodie's sleeves

"Kazuki-kun, you're badly hurt!" "I know, but-" The shadows turned around towards me, and then started doing an action I expected them to do. **"So...you're, Kei Kazuki, I expected you to be something Extraordinary. But I don't see anything special about you." "Yes, you do seem...pathetic."**

Their insults were hitting home right now, but that's not what I'm focusing on right now. ...It's the fact that no one hears any of this. How is that even possible? They started walking towards Fuuka and Natsuki, **"All of you are an eyesore. So as the empress, the penalty for merely existing is...** **DEATH!" "** **I also agree. ...A death penalty is a good idea."**

Crap this is bad, I need to do something, and quick. While I was thinking about what to do, I saw Fuuka pull out an Evoker. "When did she-" "That's not a weapon," Ko yelled out loud " _I know."_ That voice... Was it, Fuuka?

" **DIE!" *** Bang* When the empress's staff almost hit the two girls, it bounced right off. When I looked at Fuuka, I saw her persona... It had long blonde hair, with its eyes covered with a piece of cloth. The detail that caught my attention, was the dome-like area at the center of the Persona.

" _I-I can see!_ " "(Grunting) See what?" " _see their weaknesses_." "Really, then tell us their weaknesses while we fight." " _Kazuki-kun, you're hurt, you need to rest."_ "I can't, I need to-" " _Please, Kazuki-kun, not just for me, but for yourself."_ "Damn it... You're right." I slam my fist on the floor. I look at Makoto, Junpei, and Akihiko fighting the two shadows... Damn it, I feel so pathetic compared to that Masked guy...

"(Thinking back) There is nothing to estimate between, you and me, only distance in abilities..." Only distance, so he basically told me I'm far weaker than him. And if I'm weaker than him, I won't be able to beat stronger enemies. And if I can't do that, then I won't be able to protect anybody. No, I can't accept that, not ever!

" **Then stop complaining about how weak you are and start moving your ass** **already."** Who the hell **"Get up and start kicking some ass already, before I lose it!"** "But I shouldn't." **"Why not, oh,** **because you promised the girly over there she wouldn't have to worry about you."** "I-" **"First: you let that masked loser kick your ass, then you're just sitting here looking pretty useless."** "Be quiet!" **"Now you're making excuses why you shouldn't fight, even though you want to! Tch, you're such a** **little bitch!"** "Be quiet" I start to stand up one more time... The pain in my legs is incredible, but that didn't stop me.

" **That's right** , **get up** , **destroy those knock-offs,** **like the dirt they are!** " "Shut up!" " **Huh?** " "I know I'm injured, I know I need to stay down, I damn well know I need to fight, but damn it, I'm too conflicted to decide." "(Thinking back) Your only way to grow stronger is..." "My only way is..." "(In unionism) To endure the hardships!"

I was standing on both of my legs, wounds were opening up. "(Grunting) Can't... give... in" " _Kazuki-kun_!" "Fuuka, I'm still keeping my promise, but I need do this. If you tell me not to fight, then I won't." " _Kazuki-kun_..." "Yeah..." " _Don't die_ , _please_." I give her a thumbs-up before I went over to fight the shadows... I'm gonna keep my promise, no matter what.

 **"Ah, I see you decided to be the first to get executed."** "No, that's not what I want. ...I want to fight!" **"Inconceivable, YOU wish to fight US? How dare you, you little wretch!"** "Are we gonna insult me all night, or are we going to throw down."

The two shadows, no, the third and fourth game prep them self. I ready myself too "Kazu, catch!" Junpei threw a sword my way, it looks like the other sword I used to fight the masked guy with. I caught it and I began to draw it from its sheath. "I don't know how powerful you two clowns are, but let me tell ya something... You two are nothing compared to the guy I want to defeat!"

The shadows charge at us and Makoto starts giving orders "Everyone: follow my lead, Fuuka: provide support, especially for Kazuki!" " _Okay_!" "Let's rock!"

The emperor tries to hit me with its sword. "Skeith!" "That's Kei's Persona?" "Looks pretty cool!" Skeith punches the sword; I need to know the weakness. "Fuuka!" "It's electricity." "Makoto and Akihiko!" "Oberon!" "Polydeuces!" A combination of two lightning bolts hits the emperor shadow at full force. **"Hmm, I say, you peasants aren't even trying."** "What the-" "Fuuka, did something happen!?" " It changed properties when Akihiko-senpai and Makoto-kun attacked it."

I see, but then that means. "Fuuka, see what the weaknesses are for the empress this time!" " _Its weakness is bash attacks, nothing else will work_!" "Good, Skeith!" Skeith started punching fast enough to not let the empress change strengths and weaknesses. I always wanted to say this... "Your next line is: You little pest!" **"ARGGGGHHH, you little- WHAT! How did you know I was gonna say that!?** " "You're predictable." I felt a sort of proud of myself. "Very well, finish me already." "I have principles, I don't kick an enemy while it's down." **"How foolish, so you won't finish me."** "You're right, I won't finish you." **"Huh!?"** "Hermes!" "Polydeuces!" "...But they will."

I jump off the shadow before the two, Personas came crashing into the empress shadow. "ARGHH, my legs, why did I jump off!" "Good job, Kazuki, now we only have one more to deal with," Makoto said praising me. The four of us walked towards the final shadow in this room. I was walking past the empress shadow, but I see something moving in the dust...

 **"You're mine!"** "SHIT!" I draw my sword to defend against the attack, and I summon Skeith to punch a hole in its chest

*Clange* **"ARGGGGHHH!"**

I was sent flying towards the staircase with great force. *Thud* "ARGHHH!" " _Kazuki-kun_!" I get back up again, when I do, I see the emperor standing next to me.

 **"Are you ready to die, boy?"** "No, not really." I look at everyone for a moment to say, "This one is mine." "Dude, that's crazy you shouldn't-" "Junpei, let Kei take this one, he's strong, he'll be okay."

The Emperor starts swinging its sword at me; I started blocking with my sword... I don't know how this sword is holding together, but nonetheless, it's keeping me alive... I dodge out of the way of the next attack _"Kazuki-kun, block!"_ I was too late to react. In a moments notice, the sword was moving faster than I could react... The shadow's sword hits me in two different directions on both of my arms.

"ARGHHHH!" " _Kazuki-kun!"_ Damn, that hurts **"Looks like you can't use your arms now, what will you do?"** "Your right, I can't use my arms now, but..." I crouch down to pick up the sword with my mouth. "You can't be serious," Akihiko said with a dumbfounded face "Man, that reminds me of an anime character." "(Muffled) Shut up, Jun... This the only way I can use it now!" "Okay, okay, I get it!" _"Kazuki-kun, can't you just have your Persona hold it for you?"_ "(Muffled)...You're supposed to be on my side Fu-chan!" " _I am, but still..." "_ You know what, let's forget about this."

" _Kazuki-kun, it's weak to slash attacks, hit it before it changes properties again."_ "Got it!" I ran towards the shadow with all the strength I had left in my body. (Despite all the pain in my legs.) " **DIE!"** "Not gonna happen!" *Slice*

For an instant, it felt like I was fighting that Masked guy again. As the shadow started disappearing it said something to me. **"Well played, young man. You'll go far in this world."** "I'm sorry, for what's it's worth, you were a worthy adversary."

The shadow melted into nothingness... I walk over to Fuuka. "Kazuki-kun, are you okay, you're bleeding everywhere!" "I know, but you know what, I can get this healed up in no time at all" "Are you...sure...?" Fuuka started to fall to her knees, I caught her before she even touched the ground. "Fuuka," Natsuki cried out in concern. "(Groaning) I got you Fuuka." I look at her in concern and in a proud way; her persona was an incredible means of support.

"*Cough* What the...?" I spat out blood from my mouth, I got hurt way too much, and I summoned my Persona considerable too much.

"Kio, what about the girls!?" "They're just unconscious." "That's good." I look towards the exit... "Guys, I'm gonna take Fuuka to the hospital now." "All right, I'll get into contact with one of ours in the hospital." "Got it."

Before I left, Natsuki stopped me. "Is Fuuka going to be alright!?" "Yeah, she'll be fine, so don't worry." "Thank you." I looked back and smiled, "You're welcome." I wrap Fuuka's arms around my neck, and I begin to give her a piggyback to the hospital.

On route to, Tatsumi hospital, Midnight

"Hey, Fuuka... I don't know if you can hear me, but if you can then please listen for a moment. I'm sorry that I did something that reckless and if you're mad at me for doing something like that, then I understand. ...But I need more strength, so I can protect you and everyone else in SEES. Oh, Speaking of SEES, if you decide to join I'll always try my best to protect you from enemies, even if they're Nyarlathotep's players. I'll protect you with my life, I promise. I also promise to be a good boyfriend for you."

Only silence rules over the whole area. That's okay, I enjoy her presence either way.

"I know you will, Kazuki-kun." I heard Fuuka say something. Did she really hear me? I blushing a bit, but I'm actually glad she heard me.

*Grunts and Groans* Damn, my whole body is back in tremendous pain. Fuuka nestled her head on my back. "Your head feels nice... Is that weird?" I'm getting her to that hospital.

Tatsumi hospital, lobby, Midnight

"We're here Fuuka, we made it." My vision begins to blur, my legs began to give in. *Thud* I was laid out on the floor; bleeding.

"Hey, those are the patients! One of them is bleeding out!"

Everything was getting more muffled. I couldn't hear them. The next thing I know, I started to fade out.

I look at, Fuuka one last time before passing out. "Thank you, Fu-chan... I'll get stronger for you. Until then; goodnight, Ms. Yamagishi."

Everything went dark, and with that, I passed out...

?/?, Unknown

Kei Kazuki, what will you do now I wonder? What do you think will happen?"

...

"I see, nothing, that's quite all right. Well, only time will tell."

 **Ladies and gentlemen, I represent to you a Kei Kazuki that is stubborn as hell, also there were a lot of things that changed about the rescue operation. For instance: Makoto wasn't directly there to rescue Fuuka and Kazuki, which was inconsistent of me, but hopefully, I made it work. And I also noticed something while I writing the battle scenes in the past chapters... Kazuki is always getting hurt, so I had a thought: How about I turn it way up a notch *Bam* (Futurama reference) because originally the masked person was gonna knock him out. though, this was better. I also originally wasn't going to have the masked person take Kazuki's sword, but then I realized: It's too freakin' op! So I had it taken way for story purposes and development purposes. Overall I had to scrap a lot of parts in this chapter, but I'm satisfied for what I replaced and put into this chapter. With that begin said (Seriously, I put these exact pair of words in almost every chapter) I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter and until the next chapter; see ya.**


	12. The Predator

6/15 Mon, Tatsumi hospital, Afternoon

I went to Tatsumi hospital to visit Kazuki-kun. He hasn't woken up yet, but the doctor did say that his wounds suddenly healed up as if nothing happened at all, and he'll eventually wake up. ...For now, all he needs is rest.

I went up to Kazuki-kun's room... When I entered, I saw a man with dark hair in the room looking at Kazuki-kun. "Um, excuse me." "Huh, oh sorry, I didn't know he was getting more visitors than just me." "Oh, do you know, Kazuki-kun?" "Kazuki-kun, huh... "That's what I call him by..." "I see." "I'm sorry, but who are you?" "Oh, right, I'm Naoya Toudou." "*Gasp*" "What is your name?" "...Fuuka Yamagishi." I look at him for a minute in shock... This is Naoya Toudou... "You're, Naoya Toudou." "Yes, I am... Kei told you about me?" "Yes..." "Then he must've told more about Mikage-cho..." "Everything..." "I see..."

Naoya took a seat in the chair next to Kazuki-kun... "His life wasn't easy, everybody ridiculed him for existing; it was painful for him..." Naoya-san's hands started to shake. "...But there must be a silver lining since someone came here to see him?" "There is one, fortunately." "Good. By the way, are you a friend of his?" "Um, I'm, um..." "Oh, are you a girlfriend then?" "Um, ye-yes." "Really, I was just joking! That's excellent!" Naoya-san expressed a positive mood around himself...

"Well, in that case, can I ask you a favor...?" "Sure." "Can you look out for him, I know he might be a bit aggressive sometimes, but he really is a good kid..." "I'll make sure he isn't alone anymore." "Thank you so much." Naoya-san puts something on Kazuki-kun's bed and made his way to the exit. But before he left, he asked me something. "Can you tell me why you took interest in Kei?" "Because he helped me when I needed it most, he's a great person." "He sure is. Hopefully, he can be even greater." "Yes. Also before you leave." "Huh...?"

I bow in front of Naoya-san... "Thank you for believing and giving Kazuki-kun support!" "No problem, besides he might be my cousin, but I feel like he's more like a little brother. More importantly, thank you for caring about him, Ms. Yamagishi." "Your welcome." "Before I leave, can you tell him when I come back to Iwatodai, we should go get some ramen, you can tag along, too." "I'll tell him that and I would love to come along."

Naoya-san left the room... I went to sit by Kazuki-kun's bed-side. ...I looked at him, thinking about what to do the moment when he wakes up. Maybe I should tell him about me joining, SEES? Or maybe-

"*Groan*" "Huh!?"

I looked at Kazuki-kun immediately when I heard a groan coming from him. "Kazuki-kun, are you awake!?" "*Yawn* Yeah, I'm awake." "It's a good thing you woke up when you did..." "Why?" "Well..."

Kazuki-kun noticed the piece of paper on his lap. ...He opens it. "Wait, I know this drawing anywhere!" I look at the piece of paper... There seems to be a drawing of a person with blonde hair and this drawn character seems to be wearing a dark-green and white bucket-hat. I wonder what character that is? "Naoya draws like this, *Gasp* was he here!" Kazuki-kun looks over to me... "Fu-chan was there another person here!?" "Naoya-san was here when I came in." "Really!" Kazuki-kun looks right back at the paper in his hands and smiles at what's on it. He put it back on his lap and looks at me.

"So, how are you doing?" "I'm okay, in fact, I feel great!" "Great!"

I start to fiddle around with my fingers for a minute before telling him about me joining SEES. "Fuuka, you look anxious, are you okay...?" "Ye-Yes, I am." "Are sure, you don't need to tell me anything." "Actually, I do..." "I'm all ears."

I prepare myself to tell Kazuki-kun that I joined SEES. "All right, Kazuki-kun, I officially joined, SEES." "I see... So then, you'll be living in the dorm?" "Yes..." "Cool."

I thought back to the night when Kazuki-kun was taking me to this hospital... "Kazuki-kun..." "Hmm?" "Do you really mean what you said...?" "What do you mean?" "The fact that you would protect me no matter what.?" "Do you really need to ask, of course, I will." "Then I'll do the same. Since I have this power too, I'll use it to protect you and everyone else." "Just don't overdo yourself." "I won't."

I felt like my cheeks were on fire... "You also said something else." "I did?" "You said in Tartarus that if we got out, you would take me on a date." "...And I meant it, but first I need to be released from the hospital." "You're right."

I remember something else I need tell him. "Oh, Kazuki-kun I have to tell you something else!" "What is it?" "When I went back to school, Natsuki apologized to me for bullying me, now the both of us are going try to be friends." "That's nice."

Kazuki-kun and I talked until it started getting late. "Oh, it's getting late, I should get going..." "Yeah, I don't want to hold you up for anything." "You're not holding me up on anything." "Oh, okay." "But before I leave, Naoya-san wanted me to tell you something." "What was it?" "...When he comes back to this city to visit, he thinks we should go and get ramen together." "Really, that would be awesome!"

Kazuki-kun beams with excitement from the sheer thought of eating out with Naoya-san

"In that case from now on, I can't get hurt too much anymore for you and Naoya's peace of mind."

Kazuki-kun gets out of bed and starts doing push-ups.

"Kazuki-kun, you're not supposed to be moving!" "I know, but I need to get stronger, so I need to train whenever I have the chance. Besides, I feel great!"

I start to walk over to the door to exit out of the room. "I'm leaving, Kazuki-kun..." "All right, I'll see you tomorrow, right?" "Of course." "Good, I'll see ya tomorrow. So get some rest." "I want you to do the same, Kazuki-kun." "Of course I will - sleeps the best after all!"

Port Island station, evening

"Damn, I'm way late!" It was way past evening and it was midnight. I'm supposed to be on my way to the Iwatodai dormitory now. "Crap, where is he?" He told me he would be waiting here for me! Now I just feel like an idiot. I guess I'll just have to walk there all by myself, in the dark...without someone to walk me... "*Sigh* The hell Makoto..."

The clock on my phone was 12:59 A.M. In mere seconds, it was past 12 A.M. and my phone went off. "What the hell?" I tried turning it on, but it wasn't working. But when I looked up from my phone, I saw that the station walls had a dirty green to them. The moon had turned yellow and looked as if it was cracked.

"W-what in the heck is this?" "The Dark Hour." I turned to see who was talking to me. "So, looks like we have a potential," The mysterious kid said. "A potential?" "*Groan* Doesn't matter if I tell you, it would be a pain to do so anyway." He didn't even try to hide being an ass. "Well, can you direct me to the Iwatodai dormitory? You see, I can't really map too well." I only got here because of the help of some of my classmates. "Dormitory?" "Yeah, it's in Iwatodai." "Iwatodai dormitory...?" "Yes, for Gekkoukan high students." "Hmm..." The guy was thinking deeply about something...

"Ah, I remember!" He raised his hand. "Hand me that map." "What, why?" "Cuz I need it." This guy was getting more scary looking. "...Listen, I don't wanna hurt someone weaker than me, but if you don't give me that map..." He formed a finger. "Now, give it." I balled up my hand. "Here." I showed him the map, but when he was reaching for it, I had hit him with my other hand. While he was staggered, I ran for it. I was running towards a back alley. Shit, he was catching up to me and quickly!

 **"Head for the hospital."** Huh, what was that voice? **"The hospital will be the safest place for you."** It was like this voice was feeding me directions to the place. I began to move around in places that I had no idea about, but I still heard him behind me

6/16 Tu, Tatsumi hospital, Dark Hour

I was laid out on the bed, looking out in the window. The Dark hour had hit the world now and that took away the pretty lights that were shining brightly from the building. I was holding Naoya's letter in my hand, it was nice to know that he was here, but yet...

*Glass shattering* "Huh!?" I jumped out of bed from the glass shattering noise. I slowly walked to the closet to get my clothes. ...Fuuka told me Makoto got someone to fix my clothes, a guy named Bebe? I put on my clothes and I went outside to investigate what I heard in the hallway.

Tatsumi hospital, fifth floor, Dark Hour

I went to where the noise came from. All I found was broken glass and some blood, not too much, it's a small drop of blood.

"E-excuse me..." "Whoa!" "Eep!"

I turn around behind me to find a girl with chestnut colored hair, and crimson red eyes. She was hiding in a room bend me. She also had a cut on her hand! "Hey, are you okay, what happened!?" "I-I was attacked!?" "Well it's okay, are you a patient?" "No, I came here because I was- ARGHH!" She clenched her shoulder. I had a look at it, it looked as if it was burned. "You're hurt, why didn't you tell me!" "It's nothing," She groaned as she was trying to hide her wound. "No, that's serious, we need to..."

"Where are you?" "Oh, no, not him again!" "Who!?" "She's referring to me!" I saw a guy with black hair rear his head from the corner of the hallway "Who are you!?" "None of your damn business who I am!" "Why are you after this girl!?"

"Oh, because of one simple reason really: I just wanted to know where the Iwatodia dorm is, but she didn't want to hand me that damn map, and I'm sure you can figure the rest out for yourself." "What are you talking about!?" He cracked his neck. "So you wanna fight? In that case, come at me!" "No, he'll kill you!" "It's okay, I got this." "Sure, come here then."

I ran directly at him. "Skeith!" The black haired kid pulled out a gun and pointed it at his head. "An Evoker?" "Prometheus!" The two Personas collided with strength. *Bam* "You're not a weakling, good, I won't need to take it easy on you!" The boy backs up and shoots himself again. "Prometheus, burn him alive!" Blue flames formed from the Persona and it shoots one from its left-hand. "HIDE IN THE ROOM!" She closed the door, I prone down to the ground and it went flying above me.

"Time to change it up a bit."

I get back up on my feet, to find the guy charging right at me. He sticks his left leg out to kick me. I block with my left... "Do ya really think it's that simple, you damn idiot. Prometheus!" His persona shoots two fireballs, one at my legs. I jump back to avoid it. "Got ya you little bastard!" He leaped towards me... "Huh!" The second Agi spell was moving from the floor in a straight line, then up his right leg.

"What the-" His leg was on fire and he wasn't fazed by it. But unfortunately for me, it was worth him doing that; he connected his leg to my side.

"ARGGGH!" "Nailed ya." That kick burned like hell, my side was in a lot of pain. I was sent twirling to the other end of the hallway. "Agh!" "Time for round two!" "Crap!" I got up back to my feet. He throws two punches at my face, one went through, but I caught the other one and I gripped it tightly. "Skeith!" My persona had hit him sending him flying to the other end of the hallway after punching him in the gut and in the rib-cage.

"That's for burning my sides," I roared. "Damn that hurt, you asshole!" "Sorry, maybe I should've punched you softer then!" "*Spat* Hmph, you're one sarcastic son of a bitch, I'll give you that..."

He looked at me, straight in the eyes from far away. I didn't shy away from his stare. "Hey, moron, what's your name?" "Kei Kazuki, your's?" "It's, **Katsu Masaru** and don't you forget it!" "I won't." "Good, then let's continue!"

"Skeith!"

"Prometheus!"

He kept on setting his legs on fire to do more damage to my body. Fortunately, I was blocking with my persona, so most of the hits weren't too bad. "Burn bastard!" I block the Agi attack with Skeith's arms. When I saw his foot tearing through the flames, I bent my back to avoid the flaming kick and I back flipped away from him.

"*Whistle* You got some skills, loser." "This loser is giving you a run for your money." "Not even." Katsu snapped his fingers and sets off two explosions near me. I had shut my eyes to avoid damage to them. "How about we take this outside." Before I could react, Katsu kicks me in my side and sends me flying through the wall, leading me outside. I summoned Skeith to cushion my fall. *Thud* "Arghhh, damn that hurts!" "You seem cozy down there." Katsu jumps down from the fifth story with his persona. "You want to know somethin'?" "...What!?" "You're the first person within this boring ass hour to survive this long." "I'm flattered." Don't go blushing now!"

The both of us start to prepare for our next attack that could end it... I overlapped Skeith's arm over mine.

"Prometheus." Fire began to form on his right leg. I feel the fire rising in heat. This could be devastating for me if I get hit by that. We both dashed at each other, ready to end this battle. I needed to end this one in the next hit or it's over for me. We were close to clashing attacks... Suddenly, I felt a hand grab my arm and slam me to the ground "WOOOAH"! *Thud*

When I opened my eyes, I found my fist touching the concrete floor. Meanwhile, I saw Katsu's kick was redirected to the floor; It made a big crater in the ground. "Who did this!?"

"I suggest that you stop right now Masaru." It's the masked guy again! "Yeah, yeah, what do you want?" "The boss called us back." "Oh, that asshole. Fine, let's go then." The masked guy and Katsu began to walking away. "Kazuki, we'll settle this another time, so don't go dying now!"

The two figures disappeared into the darkness of the Dark Hour

"Are they gone?" "Yeah, they're gone." "Thank god, I was so scared." "It's okay, I was like that at first, too." "I see... By the way, you were awesome!" "It was nothing." "Nah man! You were an ass-kicking machine!" "Ah shucks." I started to blush from all the compliments. More importantly, I needed to get back to the dorm since I'm out of the hospital. Although, what am I gonna do with this girl?

"Hey, where do you live?" "Oh, I'm supposed to be living in Iwatodai as of now." She showed me a piece of paper. It was a map of the city and directions of where the dorm was. Wait, does that mean she's? "You're living in the dorm?" "Yes." Then that means she might be able to use a Persona. Well, at least I eliminated one question.

"Then, in that case, wanna come to the dorm with me," I asked her. "Sure, beats going there while looking over my shoulder in this creepy ass hour." Speaking of shoulder, we still need to take care of her wound. "Let me see your wound!" "Oh, right!" She turned her burned shoulder to me. "The wound, it's gone?" Her burn mark was gone, it was almost as if nothing had happened. Her skin looked as smooth as silk and as white as a snowflake. No, stop! Get your mind out of there!

"How did your wound heal," I had asked her. "I don't know..." She was examining her shoulder. I was rubbing my eyes to stay awake. "Hey, can we get going to the dorm? We'll talk about this tomorrow." "Okay!" We walked down the streets of the empty city. The girl had seemed to have gotten used to the Dark Hour already... Actually, I don't really know her name.

"Hey, can I know your name. You know, since we're gonna be dormmates." I put my hand out. "I'm Kei Kazuki." The girl made a warm smile and took my hand. "I'm **Minako Arisato**. It's nice to meet you...!"


	13. Minako the bizarre

Iwatodai dormitory, Lounge, Dark Hour

Minako and I made it to the dorm. "All right, it should be safe now that we made it to the dorm. Are you sure you're alright?" "I'm totally okay!" "*Chuckle*" "What's so funny?" "Nothing." She sort of reminds me of me.

"Kazuki-kun, what are you doing here, you're supposed to still be in the hospital!?" "I know, but-" "Some psycho tried to kill me! I ran into the hospital to get away from him. ...But in the end, he found me in there, and Kei-chan fought him off with awesome moves. He sent that dude flying down the hallway, he even tanked fire kicks! he's awesome!" "It's nothing really." "Nothing really, you were kicking ass and taking names!"

Minako starts throwing punches in the air... I'm not saying she's exaggerating it, but what I am saying is that she thinks too much of me, besides...

"I bet Kei-chan over here could've beaten that guy with ease." "You're wrong." "Huh?" "Kazuki-kun..." I look behind her to find no one there.

"Fuuka, is everybody else asleep?" "I was going to wake them all up with Lucia, but then the two strong energy levels faded away." I see, so my hunch was correct... "Minako..." "Sup" "Do you know why I said you were wrong?" "I think I do." "Oh?" "Because you would've shown him mercy, right?" "No, because I would have died." "WHAT!"

I lean on the sign-in desk. "That guy's power was amazing, he wasn't enduring any pain from setting his leg on fire, no. ...It was a buff!" "I'm sorry, but what are you saying Kei-chan?" "He's saying the skill that the enemy was using was a way to strengthen himself." "But still, he used it as an Agi spell as well." "Hmm..." "What's wrong, Fuuka?" "I was just thinking how he's able to do something like that..." "...His Persona probably has other surprises in store." "Persona...?" "You're right, in any case..."

Fuuka came up to me and wraps me in her embrace. "I'm glad you aren't hurt and you got here safely." "I can't say I'm not hurt, but I am here." "Smooch, smooch, smooch, smooch..." I look over to, Minako in an irritated way. "I see we have two heart stroked lovers, embracing each other in the warmth of the other; to receive such a privilege is nothing but a blessing. Now all that is missing is a kiss, so kiss!"

"Minako..." "Yes..." "...Go home." "I am home." "Huh, what do you mean?" "I was supposed to be living here since April, but apparently my transfer was delayed because there were some issues with the dorm, so HA!" She's starting to annoy me just a tad bit.

"You know, Minako...if you don't get that cut on your cheek healed, it could get infected." "REALLY, Oh crap!" "Wait, do you know where your room is Minako-chan?" "On the third floor, the last door to the right."

I hear footsteps coming from the staircase... "What's going on down here? Kazuki, what are you doing here, you're supposed to be-" "Makoto..." "Minako..." Minako went up to Mako-kun... I wonder how they know each other? "Makoto..." "Yes..." *Thump* "Ugh!" "YOU IDIOT!" "Makoto-kun!" "Why the hell did she hit him!" Minako connected her fist to Makoto's stomach. "YOU FORGOT TO PICK ME UP AT THE STATION TODAY!" "(Groaning) I'm sorry." "I WAS BEING CHASED BY A PSYCHO AND IF IT WASN'T FOR KEI-CHAN I WOULD'VE BEEN DEAD, YOU MORON!" "(Groaning) Like I said, I'm sorry." "NOT GOOD ENOUGH!"

Minako processed to curb stomp, Mako-kun. "Fuuka, I think we should just go up to our rooms now." "Are you sure?" "This whole situation speaks for its self." "I, um, think we should help him." "(Grunting) I WAS GETTING CHASED BY A PSYCHOPATH, A PSYCHOPATH!" "I'm sorry!"

"I'll see you in the morning Kazuki-kun." "Yeah, see you later, too..." Fuuka and I started walking towards our rooms, acting as though we couldn't hear the several screams of help from downstairs.

Iwatodai dormitory, Lounge, Morning

I was fully dressed in my summer outfit, which was me without the uniform blazer, and I also just wrapped my hoodie around my waist. I went downstairs with Fuuka right next to me.

"*Yawn* That was a crazy night for me." "It really was. So, there are more Persona users than just us?" "Seems to be that way, yeah, But also-" "*Sniff* *Sniff* Do you smell that Fuuka?" "I do, it's coming from the kitchen." "Let's check it out."

Fuuka and I went down to the kitchen, to see what's literally cooking... When we did, I felt like my head was on fire "Oh, good morning Fu-Fu-chan, Kei-chan." "Go-good mo-mor-morning, Minako-chan." "What's with the stuttering?" "Well, Minako I don't know if you know this, but..." "What you don't like sunny-side up eggs?" "No we do, but..." "...PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!"

Minako looks at herself for a minute to realize she was wearing nothing, but her undergarments and an apron. "HOLY CRAP!" Minako covered herself to hide her body, but it's too late for that.

"*Sigh* Fuuka, go get her uniform..." "O-okay!"

"Why are you in your underwear," I had asked. "I'm too used to living on my own!" Without trying to keep to myself, "You're pretty weird?" "What do you mean, perv!" I felt a blood vessel on my forehead pop. "Pervert!? Why did you call me that!?" "Because you're checking me out!" "You wish!" "You so are!" "Come on, you're as flat-chested as they come." "WHAT, how could you say that bullshit!?" "Because you called me a perv!" "Because it's a fact." "Then you being considerably flat is a fact!" "That makes no sense at all, you moron!" "Well, it does to me!" "...Cuz you're an idiot!"

...

I returned to the kitchen with Minako-chan's uniform. "I got your uniform Minako-chan. Huh, Kazuki-kun, Minako-chan?" "Flatty!" "Perv!" "Flatty!" "Perv!" The bickering continued for a while. We didn't get to class on time that day...

Gekkoukan high, Class 2-E, Afterschool

I jump out of my seat immediately after the bell rings. I walk to the side of Fuuka's desk...

"Kazuki-kun." "What's up?" "Do you wanna go anywhere today?" "Yeah, where to?" "Sure, how about we-" "HA, found you!" I was cringing at the mere thought of knowing whose voice that belonged to.

She came right over to me. "What you guys up to?" "Nothing, Flatty." "I'm not flat-chested!" "...And I'm not a perv!" I release a sigh of exhaustion. "What do you want?" "I don't know any of the stores or places to hang-out at in Iwatodai, so I was wondering if you guys could show me around?" "Why can't Makoto do it," I asked her. "Because I'm still mad at him," she pouted. "How about Yuka-chan then?" "She's busy..." Are you serious, what the hell guys!?

"We would love to show you around Minako-chan." Totally just killed a possible date. "Cool, thanks Fu-Fu-chan, you're all right in my book." "What about me," I asked with no expectations of good results whatsoever. "All the way down on the bottom, perv." Minako sticks her tongue at me. "What's the bottom for you," I asked her "It is what it is." "You know what, who really cares..."

I took Fuuka's hand and we started moving towards the door. "You coming or not, Flatty," I teased. "Call me Flatty one more time...I dare you!" "Okay, okay, just calm down a bit, I know the joke was a bit...flat, but you know, whatever." What I didn't know was that the pun was my final mistake. "That's it, you're dead!" Oh, crap she's totally pissed! "Fuuka...how fast can you run?" "Not too fast, why?" "Then sorry about this in advance." "Huh!?"

I pick up Fuuka (bridal style, again) and I looked back at Minako; she looked as if she was about to ripe my head clean off...

I saw Mako-kun right in front of us. "Hey, Fuuka, Kei have you seen Minako because I-" He looks behind us to find a very pissed Minako. "Kei..." "Ye-Yes?" "I would want to run, fast if I were you." "Why?" "Because when she's ticked off, she becomes as fast as a cheetah and as vicious as the grim reaper ." "Oh, crap."

Makoto clears a path and gives me a thumbs-up.

"Time to grab our asses and run!" "KAZUKI-KUN, STOP, PUT ME DOWN, PLEASE!" "Sorry, can't do that right now." "GET BACK HERE, PERV!"And so began the chase of a lifetime...

Iwatodai strip mall, Afternoon

The grand chase ended when we reached Paulownia mall. "*Pant* *Pant* I'm...gonna hurt you," Minako said in between breaths. "Sure... you will, whew, I'm exhausted," I struggled to say. "An opening!" Minako tried to punch me, but due to my reflexes, I slapped her wrist to move the direction of her fist the other way.

"Ahhh *Thud*" "Crap, you alright?" "Ow, yeah I'm fine." "Here take my hand." I toke Minako's hand and I picked her up. "Thanks..." "Your welcome."

Minako looked at her feet... "Welp, time to resume." "Wait, what!?" "Just kidding!" She lifted the corners of her mouth and made a smile. She was laughing shortly after that. "Got you, didn't I? That's why you don't mess with me." Yeah, guess I should consider myself lucky.

I heard something rumbling. "Hehe, looks like the chase emptied my stomach," Minako stated. "Then we should go to Hagkekure," Fu-chan suggested. "Oh, that sounds great, Makoto told me about it!" Minako picked up her bag. "Let's go already then, besides, we need to talk about you-know-what." "What do you mean?" "My, Pervy Kei-chan, you sure are slow." "You sure about slow? Cuz last time I checked, you fell on your chest because I was too fast for you." "Ha, you didn't say flat." "You really must love that name if you mentioned it, Flatty." I think I made her pop a blood vain again...

"Welp, time to get some grub," I announced. "You're lucky that I'm hungry." "Yep." "Oh, You're right, because you get to pay for the ladies food now." "...Why me!" "Sorry, can't hear you. But I think I heard you say you'll pay for the food." "*Sigh* What a pain..."

I saw Fuuka smiling. I guess if she's having fun, I guess I'll pay for something to eat.

"I'll ask again: you coming or not Minako." "Do you even need to ask." We started heading towards the Takoyaki stand, with the fear of the money flying away from my wallet.

"Hey, Kei-chan..." "Yeah...?" "Listen, I'm sorry for calling you a perv and trying to kick your ass." "It's all right. I'm sorry for calling you flat." "Thanks, because it was pissing me off." "I thought as much."

Minako smiles and takes my hand.

"Come on, you're supposed to be buying us food." "Hey, let go of my hand!." "You're too slow, so I'm making you pick up the pace." We set out for the ramen shop...

Hakekure, after school

Minako-chan and I were slurping down on the soup of the ramen, Fu-chan was eating it at a slower pace. "Ramen, nothing like it," I stated. "Yeah, totally!" Minako rubbed her hands together.

"Guys, now let's talk about the you-know-what." "Again, what is that," I said. "Come on! That Dark Hour thingy." Minako rocked her seat. "Oh, yeah, thought you up and forgotten about it." "*Chuckle* Yeah right, like I would." "Thought as much." She stopped rocking around. "So, are we the only ones who can move around in that hour," she had asked with interest. "No, everyone in the dorm can move around in that time." Minako grabbed her cup and swirled the drink inside it. "Can Makoto move around in it." She had an uneasy look about her than she did a moment ago. "Yes, he can."

She had a grave look on her face. Thinking on how to perk her up, I came up with a conclusion. "Ya know, Makoto is awesome as our leader." "Leader," Minako asked, inquiring on the leader part. "Oh yeah, he's a great leader, if not, he's a natural at it. He's smart, strong, and well, he's pretty cool overall."

Minako was straight-faced for a moment then the next, she was smiling. "Of course, that sounds like him. Perfectly in fact." She was mumbling on about Makoto. It was clear that she admired him, and I can definitely say I had that feeling and still have it.

"So...about the Dark Hour. I wanna know more," she exclaimed. "Oh, well, Fu-chan explain." "Huh, why me?" I put my head on the table. "Cuz I have a feeling she's gonna screw with me somehow." "Oh, I wouldn't do that," she snickered. "Okay then, well, it's like this..."

6/17 Iwatodai dormitory, Midnight

I have been walking around in circles for a while now. ...Doubt began to grow inside my chest. I need to tell someone this, and I have just person in mind. I pull out my phone and I dial Fuuka's number. I don't expect her to pick up, so-

"Hello...?" Whoa, she actually picked up. "Kazuki-kun, why are you calling me in the middle of the night?" "Well..." Fuuka sounded tried. Of course, she does, she was sleeping after all.

"Listen, I need you to come down to my room, it's important." "Oh...okay." She didn't sound embarrassed or anything... She sounded like she was not even listening.

A couple of seconds later, I hear a knock on my door. I went over to answer it. "I'm here." "Sorry about this Fu-chan." "It's quite all right since you told me this is important." "All right, take a seat..." Fuuka sat on my bed right next to me.

"All right, let me ask you something: do you remember when I was all cut up in Tartarus?" "How could I forget." "Well it wasn't from the Reaper, it was someone else." "What really!" "Yes... Now let me explain some more things." "Okay."

I went on to explain what happened to me in Tartarus "If there's someone that strong, then that means...!" "He could've killed me, but he didn't." "But he dealt you so many hits, how was he certain that you would live!?" "He said the Dark Hour for them started, or something in between those lines." "Wait, how did he know the Dark Hour would start for everyone else, maybe a watch?" "No, I didn't see a watch on him, even if it was entirely black, the lens would've still been visible. Besides, it was the Dark Hour." "You're right, it wouldn't have worked then." "But, I'm not finished."

"...When I fought the other Persona user at the hospital, he had an Evoker." "Really!?" "Yeah, and it looked like one of ours." "Kazuki-kun, where are you going with this?" "I wouldn't like to think this, but. ...SEES might have a traitor!"

This realization scared me because I trust everybody on this team, but if there is a possible traitor, I can't allow him or her to keep on with this.

"Kazuki-kun, I don't think we should tell the others." "Why not?" "Because if there were a possible traitor, then we would be putting everybody in danger." "Crap, I didn't think of that, I'm sorry." "It's okay, Kazuki-kun." "But you're right, we should keep this under wraps for now until we're certain."

I expected to hear a response, but nothing. I looked over at her, she was asleep "Oh, no, Fuuka, you can't fall asleep here, Fuuka! *Sigh* Great..."

I picked up Fuuka and I put her on my back, and I took her back to her room.

Iwatodai dormitory, Fuuka Yamagishi room.

I open the door to her room, I see a pink table in the middle of the room, and I also see a cubby full of flowers. Her room is well kept... "Easy does it..." I lay Fuuka down on her bed. I looked at her for a minute. When I was about to leave, I saw a notepad on her desk... "It would be rude of me to see, but...maybe just a peak." I picked up the notepad... It was a list of places to go to...with me. Most of them have "x" marks next to them. Most of these places are in Paulownia Mall. I'm guessing she was thinking I wouldn't like to go to any of these places, hell, she even left a comments saying, "He wouldn't like to go to these places at all." "That's not true!"

I used the pen that was next to the notepad and I started writing. After I was finished, I ripped the paper out of the notepad carefully, and I folded it small enough to put in her hand. I slipped it into her hand, and after I did something caught my attention. ...HER LIPS!

"Crap, why am so I fixated on them?" I look at them for what seemed like hours, but in actuality, it was seconded.

I think I better leave before this gets worse. "Right, I'm getting out of here!"

I rushed out of the room as if I was a typhoon recking havoc through a city (a bit too much for an analogy but it sounded kind of clever).

"Sup, lover boy." I turned around to find Minako standing behind me in sweat pants and a tank top and holding a cup in her hand. "Surprised you aren't walking around in your underwear," I teased but somewhat surprised. "And you deny you're a perv." She quickly struck back with a remark. "What are you doing," I asked her." Getting my midnight drink for my midnight reading. What are you doing." "Can't you just read in the morning, besides, isn't it hard to see the words?" "*Chuckling* My eyes are the best, I'm so used to reading in the dark, it's not even an issue." Well, that's a feat that I kind of wished I had. "So to backstep, what are you doing up here, and mind you: this is the girl's floor." I rubbed my temples, trying to find a way to explain this without bringing up the conversation in my room.

"I...came to see how Fu-chan was doing." "Hm, she seemed fine this morning." "Yeah, but... I mean, how she's adjusting to SEES. She was thrown into all this pretty quickly, and it has me worried." I went over to the chairs near the vending machine. "I felt as though was rushed into this, she should've been allowed to adjust." "But is that really bothering you? She told me she came volunteered to help." I put my head in my hands. "You're right, that's not what's really bothering me. What's bothering me is the fact I'm still weak. When I got my ass handed to me while I was trapped in Tartarus, it didn't take much effort for the opponent to beat me; compared to that person, I was nothing at all." This wasn't just an excuse anymore. When I awakened my Persona fully, I thought I was as strong as I ever would be, but even when I unlocked it, I still wasn't strong enough to beat one person. I'm not broken up about the fact I lost but about the fact that I could've died there if that masked person didn't let me live. If someone like that decides to threaten to kill me or the team, I don't know if I can stop them.

Minako took a seat beside me, drawing her attention to the roof. "...There was a time I was just a weak little girl who was living in an orphanage." "You're an Orphen?" She bobbed her head. "I lost my dad in a car crash, and I was six years old when my mother was killed." "Killed by what?" I knew I just stepped on a metaphorical landmine. "To this day, its ruled as an accident, but something tells me that it's not that. Well, it's not like I can prove it, and it's not like I want to anyway," she muttered at the end. "While I living in the orphanage I was picked on by the other kids, mostly because of the color of my eyes." "You're eyes, why for," I asked as I looked at her eyes. "Because the other kids said they were weird; because they were scary." She had a hand touch her eyelid, her fingers tracing it. "I hated my eyes so much back then..." Being treated differently for no good reason, it's the same shit no matter what and it just pisses me off; like what the hell is wrong with us. Minako perked her head up, with a small smile as the most notable feature. "But that changed when Makoto came to the orphanage. I remembered when I first saw him, he his hair was covering his eyes, I thought he couldn't see with all that hair covering his face... I thought he was covering them from others, but when I saw his eyes, they didn't seem sad at all, they just seemed...calming."

Her face was in pure bliss as she was going on about Makoto, her cheeks growing red as she went on. "The first time I ever talked to him was when he defended me against my bullies; he didn't fight them, but he made them stop bullying me." She planted her hand to her chest. "He was like my knight in shining armor..."

Hearing her talk like this; a normal girl was a bit different. She's usually easily excited, short-tempered, rambunctious, and kind of like a kid... Her eyebrows jumped up suddenly. She looked over, her girlish demeanor was gone.

"Hey, I poured my heart out to you right now, but this doesn't mean you can tell anyone else, okay," she stammered. The change in attitude didn't make me feel annoyed. I began to chuckle, then all together laughed out loud. "H-hey, what's so funny?" "It's not your story, it's just... I never thought I never meet someone like me." "Like you? What do you mean?" I tried calming myself... "What I mean is, I wasn't treated fairly either when I was young; I- I was interrupted by an echo sound from coming from downstairs.

"What was that," asked me, jumping up from her chair. The noise was still coming from down there, I looked down from the rail but I saw nothing on the second floor. "Hey, what is that." "I don't know but go get your weapon from your room Minako, we might need to get physical." "Okay, I'll get it quickly, just wait for me." "No sweat." She quickly, quietly ran towards her room and I went downstairs. When I reached the lobby, the door was half open. There was something lying on the floor, I went over to pick it up. It was a plain white letter, it was addressed to me. I opened it to see that it read, _"Come to Tartarus to settle the score..."_ To Tartarus, there are only a few minutes before the Dark Hour hits...

I'm here!" Minako's voice was heard from behind me. She had her weapon in hand and she was dressed in her Gekkoukan uniform. "What's that," Minako asked, pointing to the letter in my hand. "I think I've been invited to a fight..." She gripped her weapon with both her hands. "Want me to tag along," she declared. This letter might lead me to a trap, and I have no reason to go, however, if I don't go, the fight might come here...

"Minako, we're going to Tartarus." Her face formed a smirk. "Finally!" "You excited." "Hell yeah I am, I just never thought I'd be going there for the first time behind the others backs," she exclaimed. I got up from the floor and opened the door to the outside just a few minutes after the Dark hour hit...

The lobby of Tartarus, Dark Hour

We entered the lobby to found someone sitting on the staircase leading to the labyrinth: M.G. (masked guy didn't sit too well with me). "I see you brought someone along with you," M.G. pointed out. "Yeah, but I don't really trust you, to be fair." "It was stupid enough of you to even come here."

M.G. gets up from the staircase... "Well, no point on stabbing at that. I guess the only question that remains is: are you ready?" "I don't know what the hell I need to be ready for, but sure, I am..."

* * *

 **Minako-chan sure is persistent, isn't she**? **Hello everybody, Proxy's saga here, and I have to say this chapter took longer than expected to finish considering how long it is. This chapter mostly focused on Minako and what type of person she is. Now, the reason I put "M.G." instead of "masked guy" because it kinda felt weird just having Kazuki say, the masked guy every time he sees him or mentions him. Well with that being said, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope that you tune-in for the next chapter. Until then; see ya.**

 **Bonus: Dark hour interview**

 **Kazuki: Hello everybody, and welcome to the Dark hour interview, I'm your host, Kei Kazuki.**

 **Kazuki: Today, I'm here with the one, the only, Minako Arisato!**

 **Minako: Sup, everybody.**

 **Kazuki: So, Minako, I'm gonna ask you three questions.**

 **Minako: Okay, I'm ready.**

 **Kazuki: Alright, first question: Why did you forget to put on your clothes?**

 **Minako: People always did say I sometimes go on autopilot. It's either that or maybe it was due to the fact I was up so late, I forgot to put on clothes.**

 **Kazuki: I see...**

 **Kazuki: Alright, question two: Where did you go to school originally?**

 **Minako: I went to Shujin high, and I like to say, those uniforms were snazzy, but the Gekkoukan uniform is much cooler, so I guess it's an even trade.**

 **Kazuki: Oh, we got a Tokyo girl in the studio.**

 **Kazuki: Final question: How flat are you, Wait, what!?**

 **Minako: ...**

 **Kazuki: Minako...**

 **Minako: Well everyone, I hope you had a fantastic time with us tonight...**

 **Kazuki: Um, Minako...?**

 **Minako: ...Because now, Kei-chan and I have something to talk about now.**

 **Kazuki: ...Why are you cracking your knuckles?**

 **Minako: ...Until you're possible next time with Kei-chan again, take care.**

 **Kazuki: Mino-chan you don't need to do this.**

 ***Bam***

 **Kazuki: (Groaning) Oww, are you done yet?**

 **Minako: Are you kidding me, I just got started.**

 **Kazuki: WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, MINO-CHAN, MINO-CHAAAAANNN!**


	14. A fight for oneself

The lobby of Tartarus, Dark Hour

"I see you got the letter I sent you." "Yeah, it had me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out who sent it." "You thought Masaru sent it?" "Kind of..."

She grabbed something that was tied in cloth. "Are you ready?" "I don't know for whag." "Good, then follow me." M.G. started moving towards the labyrinth. "The girl has to stay here though." "Like hell I am! I'm going with Kei-chan!" "Minako, it's fine, I'll be okay." "But!" "It's nothing, this is my round two, and I plan on returning the favor." "Fine, but just be careful! Because if you die in there you'll make Fuuka cry; and if you do that, I'll kick your ass when I see you in the afterlife!" "I won't die. Also..." I take off my hoodie and jacket, and I throw them to Minako.

I started walking towards the labyrinth with nothing but curiosity.

"Kazuki, you're going to need this." M.G. hands me a cloth-wrapped weapon. When I saw some black, I nearly tore it off. With all the cloth off, all I see is the black blade. "Why are you giving me this?" "Because I want to see something." "Oh, speaking of which, what are we going to be doing in Tartarus?" "I'll tell you when we get inside." "Let's go then." With that being said, we entered the labyrinth...

...

I saw Kei-chan and the masked person enter the labyrinth. "You better come back alive, you hear me..."

second block Arqa, FL: 27

M.G. walked right in front of me immediately after we got in.

"Now, let me explain. We're here to do one thing: fight each other." "Huh!?" "...I will come at you as if I'm trying to kill you." Well, this escalated quickly!

M.G. leaps forward at me with a different sword this time. It looks like a katana sword, but it's short in size; like a knife. "Shit!" I rolled out of the way. "ARE WE REALLY FIGHTING!?" "Yes, we are." He slashes at me, I pull out my sword from the cloth. *Clang* "This is ridiculous, you know I can't win against you the way I am now!" "You're right, at least you're aware of that." "Of course I am!"

I push back M.G.'s blade and I started running away. "That would a wise move Kazuki, Albeit..."

I was running down throughout the corridors of this labyrinth. I stop for a moment to catch my breath. Just when I thought I was safe, he appeared in front of me.

"You can't escape me." "Crap!" I fell down to the floor, just to dodge the slash attack he was aiming for my chest. He drove it down to my head. I lifted my right-leg to hit M.G.'s wrist. I redirect the attack, but he didn't let go of his weapon. ...I wasn't counting on that.

"Check it!" I turn my body around quickly and I press both my hands on the floor, and I push off against the floor. "Take it!" I hit M.G.'s chest with both of my feet. Hmm, I felt something when I made contact with his chest; something...soft? *Thump* "Nice use of your legs, although..." "Huh!?" He grabbed one of my legs and threw me towards a wall *Thud* "ARRGH" "I might not have the greatest of strength, but I'm strong enough." "Tch!"

I get up from the floor, dusting myself. I continue to run away. "Damn, this isn't good, I need to figure out what to do, or else this'll drag on.

second block: Arqa, FL: 30

I keep running away from M.G. because he was stronger than I was. For some reason, he was always able to find me, even when I was doing my best to hide. "Damn, screw this, I'm getting out of here!"

I went around to find a transporter without getting jumped by M.G. "Found it!" I ran towards it, but to my surprise, M.G. found me again "You aren't running away from this." *Swoosh* "Whoa!" I backed away from the transporter...

"Why are you trying to run away?" "Why wouldn't I! I'll get killed if I don't!" "So why did you come here?" "I-" M.G. slashes both of my arms and hits my cheek "ARGHHH!" "Did you come here based on a whim, thinking you would win just because you lived the first time, or do have some-sort-of death wish, answer me, Kazuki."

Damn, I can't do anything, he's just too strong for me to handle. He was following after me; floor-to-floor, he was chasing me. I tried to sneak attack him multiple times, but it was all in vain, he was always able to block my attacks no matter how much strength I put into it. After the attack fails, I would run away and try to do another sneak attack.

Second block: Arqa, floor 39

Running, that's all I was doing, running. Hell, that's all I can do! Nothing works against him, nothing I do will never work against him. He nearly did me in on the last floor, but I was able to get away.

"Why am I doing this, there's nothing I can do against him, **NOTHING!** "

" _Kazuki, stop running away."_ I stopped running when I arrived at the 40 floor.

 _"_ Huh, what was that?" _"If you're gonna keep running away, then you don't deserve any power."_ "Wha-" " _You say you want to become stronger, but_ _you don't display any conviction to fight for yourself..." "_ Myself, what do you mean?" _"When the lives of others are at stake, you fight because you have no choice. ...But when it comes time for you to fight for yourself, you try to escape from the fight."_ "N-no I don't!" " _What about the night of the first game, you tried to escape from the enemy without realizing_ _if you did run away, Yukari Takeba and Makoto Yuki would've died."_ "..."

He's right, I almost left them to die because I was too scared.

 _"You can't fix the past, you can only move forward and grow stronger."_ "Really?" " _Yes, so stop running_ _, face the enemy."_ I look towards M.G. _"Don't use your sword to pull cowardice attack. Use it to fight head-on."_ I point the sword towards M.G.

 _"Do you feel it, Kazuki."_ Blue sea-like energy was forming around me, then it started going towards the sword. " _That's right, use the SP in your body and direct it into your sword_." I pull back the sword to my side. ... _And strike!"_ I unleash all the stored up energy in the sword when I slashed vertically. "*Gasp*" *Boom*

When the dust settled, I saw something unexpected. "What a display of strength. I knew if I gave you that weapon back, something would happen. ...But I never expected this." M.G. Picks up his. No, her mask from the floor. He's, an SHE! "You're a girl?" "Is that a problem?" "No, I'm just surprised." Holy crap, she was the one that kicked my ass!

"More importantly, I do believe you just mad a crack in my mask." "That was an almighty attack. I'll call it, **Ocean's stream**." "I see why you named it that, wise choice. Now, shall we continue?"

"Actually, M.G... My body...I can't feel it!" *Thud* I fell down to the floor... "What the...I can't move my body?" "You must've used all your _SP_ using that attack." "Crap, really!" "It seems so..." M.G. came over to me... "Hmm, it seems like you were able to manipulate all the _SP_ inside your body, then, you put most of it into that sword. Lastly, you released a dense wave of _SP_." "Yeah, that's the gist of it... I think."

M.G. comes over to me... "What are gonna do to me now...?" "I didn't say I was going to kill you, quite the opposite really." "Really?" "Yes, you get to live for another day." "Sweet!" M.G. picks me up from the floor... "Damn your strong lady." "It's my Persona's strength after all." "But still..." M.G. pulled something out of one of her pockets, It's a crystal. M.G. smashes it into pieces and we get absorbed into a bright light...

The lobby of Tartarus, Dark Hour

We returned to the lobby, where I see Minako pointing her Evoker at herself. "Kei-chan is he okay!?" "Yes, he's alright, but..." "Hey, Mino-chan." "What happened to you?" "...I used too much energy, so I can't move my body." "Hang on, I'll get you."

M.G. puts me down and at the same time, Minako lowers me down... "Easy, I got you Kei-chan." "Thanks."

Minako starts leading us to the exit... "A moment before you leave..." "What is it M.G.?" "I'll be taking the black blade now" "Don't give your weapon to him Kei-chan, he might-" "Here..." "WHAT!?"

I handed the blade over to M.G. "But you have to do something for me." "And That would be...?" "...You have to help me be able to do that move, without it draining all my _SP_ immediately." "Very well, I'll help you." "Sweet, when do we start?" "When you're at full strength." "Fine by me." "Goodbye for now."

Before we left, I look at M.G. to say one last thing. "M.G., did you know the sword has a hint of white in it now?" "It appears so." "I just wanted to point that out to you. See ya."

The distance between us and Tartarus was growing... Who is M.G.? Is she an enemy, or she an Allie?

On route to the dormitory, Midnight

"Kei-chan..." "What's up?" "Are you really going to go back there with that guy waiting there?" "I need to. She can help me become stronger." It got quiet for a minute. "...Then you need to take me with you!" "Why...?" "Because he might try to kill you while you least expect it." "That is a possibility, but..."

"But what!?" "...But why would he do that." "Huh!?" "He had many chances to kill me, but never took those opportunities to do so. Besides, I learned a cool new ability, so I need to grow stronger to be able to use it."

Minako remains silent, she must feel conflicted. "I'm still gonna follow you there, although, I won't question your actions on this." "Fine by me." "...But, if I feel like it's getting too dangerous, or if something could cost you your life, I'll step-in and no buts... Got it?" "Got it." "Good, let's head home."

We continue to head back to the dorm... This girl - Minako Arisato, she has a good heart and a strong will. She'll definitely make a good fit for the team...

 **Hello everybody, Proxy's saga here, and I hope you guys enjoyed the way this chapter went. I had a hard time deciding what to call the almighty attack Kazuki-chan used, but in the end, I called it "Ocean's stream." If anyone thinks the name is lame, then leave a review, and I'll try to change it to something better. Also, M.G. is a girl, why is that surprising to Kazuki? Well...do any of you remember the time when, Naoto tried to act like a boy, yeah, it's like that. I know this chapter was short, but I have my reasons (That are not too major, but eh.) Without a further a due, until the next chapter; See ya.**


	15. A shattering revaluation

6/19 Tu Gekkoukan high, Class: 2-E, Afterschool

The last bell for the day rang, and I was just beginning to wake-up.

"Yo, Kei-chan." "Hey, Mino-chan *Yawn*" "You must be tired from last night." "Yeah, that woman knows how to make a person tired." "What did you have to do in there?" "Well..."

I remembered you were sitting on the floor reading some books you brought with you." "I know what I was doing. But what were you guys doing." "Right, sorry. Anyway..."

6/18 Thu, The lobby of Tartarus, Dark Hour

"Alright, what are we gonna be doing?" "Not 'we', you." "Sorry..." "Now, I shall tell you what you'll be doing. First: you'll be running away from the Reaper for ten minutes until you hit the fifth-floor mark." "You serious, how will that make me stronger!?"

"Allow me to tell you this: what if you're in a scenario where you can't use your Persona..." "Umm..." "You would need to survive without it." "...So what does this do for me?" "This will build your stamina so you'll be able to fight for a longer time, and your _SP_ will expand. Plus, you'll improve your dodging skills" "I see, what about strength though?" "We'll get on that after we're done with this part of training." "Got it!"

Gekkoukan high, Class: 2-E, Afterschool

After that, I went into the labyrinth and I was running away from The Reaper for about 50 minutes in total for about five floors." "That must've been torture." "It was because it kept using a move called Megidolaon." "What's that move?" "An almighty attack that could, in a sense: tear someone apart." "That's rough buddy."

I get up from my seat, and I look around... "I might regret saying this, but I need yours, Makoto's, and Yukari's help." "What for?" "I'll tell you after we get everyone else." "Um, okay, totally not acting like a weirdo right now, but alright."

We both started making our way to, 2-F

Gekkoukan high, Rooftop, after school

"Alright, nobody seems to be coming up here," Yuka-chan came back from lookout. "So, what do you want to talk about Kazuki?" "Alright, this is a serious matter, whatever is said here is not to be discussed with anyone else, understand." "This must be serious," Yuka-chan said to Mino-chan. "Yeah, he was acting a bit weird when he told to ask me to get you guys."

"Kei-kun, what's going on?" "You see, the thing is-" "Just say it Kei-chan!" "...I need dating advice!" The entire area went silent. "REALLY!?" ...That was until Yuka-chan invaded my personal space to my face. "Yuka-chan, space, invaded." "Oh!" Yuka-chan backed up after I told her my personal space was being invaded. "Anyway, what is she like? are the two of you in a serious relationship!?" "Well, um..." "Judging by his 'um's', it's safe to assume they are." "Yeah, they were about to get all kissy, kissy one time." "You were the one who wanted us to do it, you airhead." "I'm a what!?" "Enough...continue."

"Anyway, I said we would go on a date." Everybody nods with every word I say... It's sort-of creepy "But you see, the problem is...I sorta might have told her we would go basically everywhere in Iwatodai." "Kei-kun did really need to do that." "I know, I know, but I was overcome with a lot of feelings, and I was in her room-" "YOU WERE WHAT!?" I just made this a whole lot worse.

"Did anything romantic happen in there?" "Like a smooch~?" "N-no!" "Why did you hesitate?" Crap, Minako caught that! "*Gasp* Was there a bit of making-out?" Minako gave a devilish smirk. "You know what, as a matter of fact: there was because I kissed her on the forehead."

Minako looks at me in a disappointed way. Yuka-chan however... "Kei-chan, you suck." "Kei-kun, you need to tell me more, like who is this girl." "I'll tell you, but.-" "Actually, I know who it is." "Tell me Makoto-kun." "Mako-chan knows all!" "No, let me say it!" I released a sigh "F-Fukka..." "Really!?" "Huh, I thought it was another girl I know from the student council." "Okay, maybe Mako-chan doesn't know all..." "Wait, when did you two start dating?" "While we were in Tartarus." "Oh, I see."

This suddenly gotten a bit awkward...

"Are you gonna continue with your story, Kazuki?" "Right, I almost forgot." "...So now, I don't know what she wants to do." "Originally, I was gonna ask her if she's game to go basically around town, but then, I realized something else." "That would be...?" "...I need lots of money." "Then I propose we go to, Tartarus after school ." "Really, Makoto-kun?" "If you're up for it Yukari." "Of course I am."

I get up and I bow my head. "Thank you, guys." "No problem, lover boy." "Yeah, but now when should the date be." "How about on Sunday?" "Yeah, that doesn't sound like a bad idea; coming from an airhead." "I'll snap your neck if you call me that again!" "*Sigh* Come on guys, break it up..."

I made my way towards the door... "Also, you guys can't tell Fuuka about this." "Why the hell are you looking at me!?" "...Because Minako, you're the type of person to either slip-up or to use this information to screw with me." "Well, fu-"

Before she finished her sentence, I close the closed the door behind me...

Iwatodai dormitory, third floor, Evening

I found Yukari-chan sitting by herself on the third floor. Good, I would like to speak to her alone.

"Yukari-chan...can I speak to you?" "Sure, what is it Fuuka?" "It's about Kazuki." "Oh...really?" Yukari-chan looked kind of surprised by me mentioning his name, I wonder why? "So, what do you need?" "I need some advice." "Okay, ask away." "Nobody else knows this, but..." "But...?" "...But Kazuki is my boyfriend." "Oh...that's news to me," Yukari-chan doesn't sound surprised...

"Recently, I was conflicted about where to go for my date with him... But now, Kazuki told me he doesn't mind going anywhere with me, in fact, he wants to go nearly everywhere with me." "Is it okay with you?" "Of course."

"Then what type of advice do you need?" 'I need your opinion on how I should act." "Well, this is Kazuki we're talking about, so I'd say you should act normal." "Act normal...?" "Kazuki-kun isn't the type of guy to judge a person, so yeah, just act normal and you'll be fine."

"Thank you, but what should I wear though?" "If I'm gonna help you with that, I need to see your wardrobe." "Um, okay." Yukari-chan took me by the hand and started dragging me to my room.

Second block Arqa, FL: 45

"Watch out shadows, because the great and almighty Junpei is here." "Is the great Jun gonna strike a home-run?" "You know it!"

We began to scatter around the whole floor. We are here to blow off some steam; but in reality, I came here get some quick cash.

I went around the corner to find, Mako-kun surrounded by a bunch of shadows... "Makoto, you need help!?" "No, it's okay Kazuki, I can handle this." He begins to put his Evoker to his head. "Combination attack: Justice." *Bang* A bright light shined from the ceiling; a giant hand appeared and with it a hammer. "Destroy them all!" The hand brought down the hammer, and a stream of light spread throughout the area. The shadows weren't dead though... "Hmm, it seems it doesn't kill them but instead, it just takes half of there life. interesting..." "Makoto now is not the time to be amazed!" "Sorry, you're right."

I went after the last few shadows around him.

"Alrightlet'sts do this!" I begin to change up with my _SP._.. "Good I got this part down, now..." I pour the energy into the sword.

" _I detect a large amount of energy coming from somewhere! I think it might be the Reaper!?"_ "Now, let's do this!" I was ready to unleash all the energy stored in my blade. "Ocean's stre-" *Blade Shattering* "What the...?" The sword...it broke!

"What the hell happened!?" I did everything correctly!? "Kazuki get down! Oberon!" *Bang* The Persona zapped everything in the area around us. "Kazuki, are you okay?" "Yeah...I'm fine." I stared dumbfounded at the at the broken sword... What in the hell happened.

The lobby of Tartarus, Dark Hour

When we all returned to the lobby, I look over to Fuuka for a moment; I needed to see something.

"Hey, Fuuka you said you sensed something, can you tell me what it was?" "I don't know what it was, it may have to do with the mass amount of energy it was producing." "I see..." "You don't think it was another Persona user?" "Maybe, who knows." "But I should know." "It's okay, you don't have to know everything, you just need to get us by in battle and that's it." "But still..." "Besides, I have a feeling it wasn't a Persona user out to hurt us." "How come?" "It's a gut feeling."

Mitsu-chan looks at all of us from the entrance.

"All of you did good today, let's regroup back at the dorm." Everyone began to leave Tartarus. Me on the other hand...

"What you writing Kei-chan?" "I'm writing to M.G." "Does a girl not do it for you," Minako said in a teasing way. "That's not it, I need to speak to him about something."

I finish writing on the paper... "What are you gonna do with it now?" "You'll see." I folded the paper up, and I dropped it on the floor.

"Why did you do that?" "So he'll get it." "Well, in any case, we should roll on out of here." "Gotcha ya."

We made our way out of Tartarus. Hopefully, she gets my message.

Iwatodai dormitory, Kei Kazuki's room, Midnight.

I was awoken by a weird sound. *Caw* *Caw* "A crow?" It was a raven-black crow. And it appeared to have a message attached to its ankle...

"Want do you have here little-guy?" I open the letter to find that M.G. responded to my letter to her. _"I can answer your questions the next time I see you."_ "Are you serious!?" " _Do not be impatient, we will meet sooner than expected. So until then: wait."_

"These sound like orders more than me waiting for the next Dark Hour."

I put the letter on my desk and I look at crow before I went to sleep. "Hey, there little-guy, how are you doing." *Caw* "Wait you understood that!?" *Caw* Okay this reaches a new level of weird. "Well, in that case, my name is Kei Kazuki, do you understand?" *Caw* "Looks like you do. Oh, Wait right here one for a moment

I opened the paper back up, and I started writing something down immediately.

"Sorry to have you deliver messages left and right, but this the last one for the night.

I attached the letter to its ankle. "Deliver that to your master for me." *Caw*

The crow began to fly off into the night. I went over to my bed to finally catch some rest after money grinding in Tartarus.

Gekkoukan high, Class: 2-E, Morning

Everyone in the class was talking about a specific topic; a new student.

"Fuuka, what do you think the new student looks like. If it's a boy maybe we can set you up on a date with him?" "If it's a boy, he probably wouldn't be Fu-chan's type!" "What's her type then?" "I think Fu-chan can tell you all about it." "What, Kazuki-kun!" "You should tell her anyway." "Tell me what?" "After class, you'll know soon enough, but for now..."

Mr. Ekoda came in the room with the new student; Her black hair is covering her face, but something about her seems familiar.

"Settle down everyone, settle down! I'd like to introduce a new student, please introduce yourself." Okay, that sentence made no sense when you consider it. "Surely." That voice sounds familiar... "My name is Rin Shizuka. ...But everybody back at my old school used to call me... M.G."

WHAT!

 **I know, I know, this chapter was just building things up: like the second date between Kazuki and Fuuka, and the new girl - Rin, who in Actuality is M.G. So far, I thought about how the story is gonna develop. I'm thinking about other things to differentiate from the Canon story of Persona 3, like new arcs that take away from Iwatodai, and into different places, like Mikage-cho for example. So with that being said, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review, and follow the story if you wanna know when there is a new chapter out. And until the next chapters; see ya...**


	16. A blue moon

6/20 Sa, Gekkoukan high, Class: 2-E, Afterschool

Immediately after the bell rang, I got out of my seat and I went over to Fuuka.

"Yo, Fu-chan, do you want to go back to the dorm now?" "Kazuki-kun, are you okay... You seem to be in a hurry." "Yeah, I'm totally okay." "Oh...okay then, let's go then."

Fuuka and I almost made our way to the door, unfortunately, we were stopped in our tracks. "Kei Kazuki?" "Um, yes?" I turned around to find Rin Shizuka (A.K.A. M.G.) "I'm sorry...did I disturb you?" "Not at all." "Great, as I said before, I'm Rin Shizuka. But some people call me M.G." I froze for a moment. She said it again, This is M.G. "I'm Fuuka Yamagishi - it's a pleasure to meet you." "Likewise..." She then sticks her hands out. I took one hand, and Fuuka took the other. "I hope we can all get along." "you too..."

"Oh, Kei Kazuki, may I ask you something that correlates with Mr. Edogawa's lesson?" "Um, sure...ask away."

"All right here's what I don't understand: he said that all people have energy inside ourselves, right." "O-of course" We both know for a fact that we do.

"So I had a theory..." "What was it?" "What if we were able to manipulate that energy into...I don't know, say like a weapon." "Okay." "If one were to produce a mass amount of that energy and pour it into a weapon, what do you think would happen?" "That said person can store it into that weapon." "Yes, but if the energy were too much, that said weapon would break with all the pressure being poured on it." "Really now."

"...But if there were something that is able to handle it, maybe that said person would be able to use it." "In what way?" "That is uncertain, it is only a theory." "You seem passionate about this Rin-chan." "I have reasons to be passionate about spiritual energy and whatnot." "I see..."

I look towards the door; I can't let Fuuka sense her Persona!

"Welp, *Clap* it was a pleasure meeting you... Fu-chan and I should start heading home." "You two live together?" "We both live in a dorm, along with some other students." "I see... So it's a co-ed dormitory." "Yes, it is." "That sounds rather...interesting." "It does doesn't it." The both of them seem to be engaging in a conversation

I seriously need to get Fuuka out of here before she discovers a new Persona-user right in front of us. "We should really get going." "Oh, I'm sorry." "Nah, it's alright." I slide open the door... "It was nice meeting you, Rin-chan." "Again, likewise."

We exited out of the classroom... Looks like I dodged a bullet there, I can't have Fuuka being aware of M.G.'s power. She would probably compare it to the night when Minako and I got attacked by Katsu. ...And I can't have that because then it would get a whole lot more complicated.

Iwatodai dormitory, Command room, Evening

When we returned to the dorm, Kio told us to come to the command room; the meeting was about the irregular shadows that appeared on the last three full moons. I was right about them appearing on those days, and Ikutsuki confirmed it. But nobody mentioned the Empress and Emperor shadows talking. ...Maybe I'm the only one who's able to hear them...

"I also like to point something out something else. It was reported that there are other Persona users besides you all." "Is that true!?" If only Kio knew... "But they don't seem to be using their Persona abilities for good, quite the opposite really." "Do you mean they're abusing the dark Hour!?" "Indeed they are Mitsuru."

Ikutsuki looks over to me...

"Kazuki, weren't you attacked by one of them?" "How did you know?" "I was informed by Makoto." Minako must've told him about the whole thing. "Yes, while I was stuck in Tartarus with Fuuka." "You serious, they're that strong." "What do you mean Iori," Mitsuru questioned. "When we found Kazu, he was cut from every direction of his body." "Really, but..."

Mitsuru looks like she's deep in thought...

"Kazuki, allow us to see the skin of one of your arms." "Um...alright." I take off my jackets, and I roll-up the left sleeve of my shirt. "Hey, where did the cuts go," Jun exclaimed. "Remarkable, there are no scars on your arm. Did you heal them Kazuki?" "I didn't..." "Then is there another Persona user who healed him with a purpose?" I know who Minako is referring to.

"There might be a possibility, but we should still be on our guard." "Mitsuru's right, we need to train so we won't lose to anyone." "You're right Kio, we need to keep getting stronger for the next fight." I need to get stronger for everyone's sake.

"But I do have one more very important detail." "What could be more important?" I asked.

"There seems to have been a unauthorized manufacturing of Evokers." "What do you mean Mr. Chairman?"

"As you know there are multiple people that work in RD that knows about shadows and Personas... But months ago, there seems to have been a unofficial manufacturing of two Evokers." "What does that mean!?" "Well, Jun...that means someone broke into the Kirijo group RD lab and made them selfs some Evokers." "That's bad, ain't it." "Yeah, it is." "But that's the thing, there was no break-in." "What does that mean Ikutsuki-san," Yukari asked with a raised eyebrow. "That means someone that works with the Kirijo group, and who also knows about the Dark Hour, betrayed us." "WHAT!" Mitsuru is definitely surprised by this fact.

But more importantly, I was right... There was a traitor, but not in SEES. Fuuka looks over to me, I think she knows what I am thinking, too.

After that, the meeting was over... I asked Fu-chan to stay for a bit until everybody left. "Kazuki-kun, is something the matter?" "Yeah, not really, but..." Damn, I'm blushing!

"Are you blushing Kazuki-kun?" "No!" "Hehe, I think it's kinda cute." "You're making it worse." "I only said it's cute." "That's exactly why."

I shake my head to clear my thoughts. "Alright, to the main question... Are you doing anything tomorrow?" "Not really." "Then do you want to have that date I said we would have?" "Really, tomorrow?" "Yeah, we can leave the dorm early in the morning...if it's okay with you?" "I-I would like that." "Great, then get plenty of rest, because tomorrow, we're gonna go all around the city." "Okay."

We both got up from our seats and made our way to our rooms. I can't wait for tomorrow.

6/21 Su, Outside of the Iwatodai dormitory, Morning

"I hope this goes through..." As I was waiting for Fuuka, I was praying that the secret plan of mine would go through... It needs to!

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Kazuki-kun." I turned around to see Fuuka right behind me. She appears to be wearing a teal colored dress; It's a lighter color than her hair. (Not that I'm complaining.)

"I like your outfit Kazuki-kun." "Thanks." I was wearing a t-shirt that was entirely black on the right-side, and the left-side was entirely white. It also has a hoodie. The pants I was wearing were beige cargo pants to go with it.

"So where are we heading to first?" "How about we go the shrine first since it's close by." "Okay, let's get going."

We both made our way towards the shrine as our first destination.

Nagaki shrine, Morning

When we arrived at the shrine I looked around the area... There was a playground on the left side from the entrance.

"This place is rather small." "What was the one in Mikage-cho like?" "The shrine wasn't an outside type of one like this, it was an inside type of shrine." "What did it look like inside?' "I only went inside there once - the day before I moved to the dorm." "Oh..."

"But before I prayed, there were a bunch of masks on the walls. Most of them looked the same, but one of them was different..." "What did it look like." "There was no design at all. ...Although, it did have some teeth on the mouth part...they looked like fangs." "That sounds like a rather weird mask design." "It does doesn't it."

We went to the offertory box... "What are you gonna pray for?" "We shouldn't tell each other what the other is going to be praying for." Fu-chan brings up a good point. "You're right, but how much are you gonna be offering?" "I don't have a lot of money, so I'll only be making a ¥500 offering." "I can spot you some money." "It's okay." "Well then, if you're making a ¥500 offering, so will I!" "You don't need to..." "It's okay, besides I wanna save-up the money I'm gonna be using today." "Okay, then let's give our offerings then."

We both put in a ¥500 offering inside the box...

"God please hear our prayer..." I start to put all my concentration into one wish: to gain the strength to protect everyone, especially Fuuka.

"I think that does it?" "I believe it does." I looked at the Fortune table before I even took another step.

"Hey, you wanna draw fortunes...?" "Sure." We walked over to the table... I wonder what type of fortune I'll get. "You wanna go Fu-chan?" "Sure, I'll go first." Fu-chan began to dig around inside the box... "I think this is the right one..." She pulls her hand out of the box.

"It's... _great_ _luck!"_ "That's great, what does it say." "It says: _To protect, means to sacrifice; you must be willing to sacrifice to protect those within your heart." "_ Huh, I wonder what that means?" "I wonder too..." It was a strange one, I'll give it that

"Welp looks like it's my turn." I dug my hand into the box...I better get a good one...

I grabbed a hold of one of the papers and I pull my hand out. "It says... **Bad luck!"** "Sorry, Kazuki-kun." "Why you apologizing, it's alright." Might as well see what it says...

" _To be closer to the one you love, you must be honest with them, and trust them with your secrets."_ "What does that mean?" "I... don't know." It must've meant about Philemon, and Nyarlathotep's game, and of all this player nonsense. Speaking of which...

"Fuuka did you have any weird dreams lately?" "Um, no, not at all...why?" "No real reason. I just wanted to know if a girl like you have weird dreams." "What's that suppose to mean?" "Nothing really, just weird old Kei here." "Kazuki-kun...are you feeling all right?" "Of course I am." "I see, okay." "Yeah..." I just made this a whole lot more awkward.

"Well then, where to now." "Paulownia mall..." "Cool, let's go then."

When we were about to leave the shrine, I saw a dog coming up from the stairs...

"Is that a-" "Koro-chan?" "Who?" "Koromaru - he's a dog that lives at this shrine." "Really..." "*Woof*" "Comer, boy." Koromaru came straight over to me after I said that.

"Aren't we a smart boy." "*Woof*" "Wait, do you understand me?" "*Woof*" "Alright, in that case, give me paw."

To my amazement, he actually gave me paw... "You can actually understand me, that's so cool!" "Koro-chan is a smart dog." "Ya hear that you're pretty cool ko-kun." "*Whimper*" "I don't think he likes that nickname." "Oh...I'm sorry Koromaru." "*Whimper*"

I get up off my feet...

"Welp, its been cool to meet you, Koromaru, but we have to go somewhere." "*Woof*" "See you later Koro-chan." "*Woof*" I waved goodbye towards Koromaru as we were leaving...

I saw Fu-chan gazing at the playground. "Hey, Fuuka... Is something the matter?" "Nothings wrong, it's just I always wanted to play on this playground." "Really, why didn't you play here as a child?" "I never had anyone to play with; I never had any friends when I was younger." "..." "Kazuki-kun...?"

I grabbed Fu-chan by the hand, and we started moving for the playground. "What are we doing?" "We're gonna hang around the playground for a bit." "Are you sure we won't look weird doing so?" "Who cares. Today is only about us, so let's do this."

Fu-chan and I hung around the playground for a bit. Fuuka was on a balancing beam and I was on the ground waiting to catch her if she falls.

"I don't think I got this!" "It's okay, I got you." "Are you sure?" "I am." She continued to balance on the beam until I caught her when she fell.

Next, we went over to the jungle gym. "Um...I think I'm stuck." "Nah, you're fine." "But I really think I am." I was surprised that she was stuck in there. ...I tried to help her out of there, but I just ended up getting stuck myself.

"You need help getting out?" "Haha, pretty funny." Did I forget to mention that Fu-chan got out a minute after I got stuck? "Okay, let me help you..." *Woof* "You'll help too Koro-chan?" *Woof* "Thanks, boy."

After a couple of minutes of complicated navigation instructions, I was finally out. "Well...that was complicated." "Sorry." "Hey, at least I'm out." "Should we get going?" "Yeah, we should. We won't be able to go everywhere if we don't start going." "Alright, let's go."

We walked over the stairs but stopped when we saw Koro walk in front of us. "Sorry, boy... But we need to get going." *Wimper* "It's okay Koro-chan. We'll come back to visit."

And with that, we began to descend the stairs. Before we were off the stairs, a thought snapped in my head.

"Wait, Fu-chan, we forgot to tie our fortunes to that giant tree." "I forgot entirely, we should go back and do that." "We should." We went back up to the shrine to tie our fortunes to the tree... It made me wonder if should tell her about Philemon, and everything else. I don't know, maybe It is best for me not to tell her; I don't want her to worry about that stuff. Besides, I'll fight this "Nyarlathotep" thing, and his players to protect everybody... And Fuuka.

Iwatodai strip mall, Evening

Leaving Hagakure ramen, I was stuffed... But before we came here, we went to most of the shops in Paulownia mall; we took some pictures, went Karaoke, but we it was late enough for that nightclub to be open yet.

"Maaaan, that was too good!" "It really was good." "Yeah, but it wasn't better than your singing." "Re-Really?" "You know it, you sounded amazing." "Umm...than-thank you." "What was that song again?" "It was called: Way of life." "That's a good name for that song."

"I was so nervous when I was up there." "Then how were you able to sing?" "I just pretended that there was no-one else there, but us..." "That's really impressive." "Thank you, Using Lucia helped me get better with my visual abilities." "Huh, that's pretty cool..."

My phone vibrates in my pocket. I open it to find the message I was waiting for.

"Fu-chan, before we head back to the dorm, let's go to one last stop." I take Fuuka's hand I started running. "Kazuki-kun, wait where are we going?" "You'll see."

It's ten, so we'll be able to get in and get out before the Dark Hour.

Gekkoukan high, Class: 2-E, Evening

We both came in through an emergency door... We made our way into our classroom, needless to say, Fu-chan gave me some worried comments about sneaking into the school at night.

"Kazuki-kun, I don't think this is a good idea." "Don't worry, we won't get caught." "How are you sure about that?" "I have my ways..." "Still..." "Trust me on this one Fu-chan..." "Okay, I'll trust you." "Cool."

I went over to the podium... "Now, let me take attendance." "Huh?" "Everybody take your seats." "What are you doing?" "Taking attendance." "Oh..." Fuuka went over to her desk and took a seat...

"Alright, first and only: Fuuka Yamagishi." "Present..." "Very good."

I walked over to Fuuka and I put my hand on her shoulder. "Your turn." Fuuka went over to the podium, and I took a seat at my desk.

"I'm going to take attendance." "You're looking beautiful today, Ms. Yamagishi." "*Laughing* Stop it." "I thought it was okay to pay you a compliment." "Okay, now I'm taking attendants." "Fire away." "Kei Kazuki..." I got out of my seat, Fuuka started coming over to me, and I started making my way to her... I took her hands into my grasp; they're soft.

"Present..."

I stared deep into her eyes, as she stared into mine. The moment feels right.

I lean my head in towards hers. "..." I closed my eyes... I felt a sensation on my lips. I opened my eyes to see why... We were kissing... I felt like everything during this didn't matter; I don't care if we got caught by the security guard, I don't about Nyarlathotep's game, I don't care about anything. Right now: everything in this moment, and it feels great.

We separate our lips from each other...

"Fu-chan..." "Yes..." "If it's alright with you, can I sleep with you tonight?" "I-I would love that.." She was blushing like crazy, and so was I.

There was a light coming from the window; It was the moon. "It's a blue moon tonight." "It is..."

The light was hitting her head, and in turn that made hair have a bit of a shine to it.

"I will never forget this moment," She said as she was whispering in my ear. "Me neither..."

Fuuka and I made our way out of the school, hand-in-hand. I won't only protect her, I'll make her happy.

Iwatodai dormitory, Kei Kazuki's room, Evening

I was inside my room, waiting for Fu-chan to arrive. I switched out of my street clothes the minute I got in here.

*Knock* *Knock* "(In a hushed voice) Kazuki-kun, it's me." I went up to the door to let the expected guess in.

"Hey..." "Hello." Fuuka was in front of my door with her a bag of clothes in hand. She made her way inside my room...

"So, I guess we should...lay...on...the bed." "HUH!?" "Sorry, did I say something wrong!?" "Not at all Kazuki-kun." "Oh, okay." I'm a total mess right now...

"Look, let's just relax." "Mm-hmm." Fuuka sat her bag on my desk, and she then sat right next to me on my bed.

"...Are you uncomfortable?" "Not uncomfortable, just nervous." "Yeah, me too."

I laid down on one end, and she on the other.

"Hey, Kazuki-kun." "Yo..." "Your fortune today, it said not to keep secrets. What did it mean?" "Well, what do you think?" "I don't think it means to think you're cheating on me." "I would never do that to you, and if I did, you have my permission to have Minako to hit me as hard as she can." "I wouldn't want that to happen." "Then I guess I better be more faithful than I already am." "But do you have anything you want to tell me?" "Well...

I turn around to see her already facing me... I get closer to her to the point where there's no personal space anymore.

"You know that energy reading you picked up in Tartarus the other day?" "...It was you wasn't it." "Yeah, how did you know?" "I was thinking about it for a while, then I realized: it felt like the same energy reading you had when you first summoned your Persona fully." "You really are smart, you know that." "But...what were you doing with that much energy?" "I was gonna do something amazing." "Did you do it before?" "I did..." "I see..." "I'll show you when I'm able to use it more effectively." "Okay, I'll be waiting until then."

I start to feel tired... "We should probably sleep in for the night." "You're right." I felt a hand clasp mine. "Goodnight, Ms. Yamagishi." "Goodnight, Kei"

I felt Fuuka's head on my chest... This feels right. I feel like we're gonna have to explain ourselves to Mitsu-chan in the morning.

 **I'm starting to love my own ship...is that okay, Nah, it is. Anyway, what's up everyone, Proxy's saga here, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter today because I sure did enjoy the hell out of writing this chapter and all other chapters. So please follow the story so you'll know when a new chapter comes out. As always, until the next chapter; see ya...**


	17. The crawling darkness

7/5 Mon, Iwatodai dormitory, Kei Kazuki's room

When my eyes open up, I looked down towards my chest. She's still next to me...

We've been sleeping together in the same room ever since our second date. To be honest, I was sort of afraid that Mitsu-chan would have found out about this, but so far, nothing.

I look over at my alarm clock, it's 6:23 AM. It's considerable early in the morning... Maybe we can stay like this just for a few more minutes. Although...if everyone else gets up before us, it could be a problem.

"Hey, Fu-chan, wake up." "A couple more seconds..." "*Sigh* For a couple of seconds." "Thank you."

After a few seconds, I get out of the bed and I grab my uniform from my closet. "I'll let you change in my room..." "Where are you going to change into your uniform?" "The boy's bathroom..." "Oh, okay." "I'm locking the door." "Thank you." I locked the door behind me, and I made my way to the bathroom.

on route towards Gekkoukan high, Morning

We just boarded the train, and in the nick of time, too.

"Well, well...if it isn't the two liver birds." "Oh, crap." "How are you guys" "We're all right Minako-chan." "Ya know...you weren't in your room today Fuuka... Why is that?" "N-No reason!" "Wait, hold on a moment, I know why: you're sleeping with him, in his room, aren't you?" "W-What do mean by that!?" "I mean you two were literally sleeping... That's all that happened, right?" "Yes." "Absolutely." "That's cool." "Besides, why do you wanna know so badly? Aren't you nosy enough?" "...!" Minako went silent... "At least you two know where you each other are at." "Huh?"

Minako looks hurt, no, worried...

"Mino-chan...what happened." "Huh?" "What do you mean Kazuki-kun?" "Makoto always travels to school with you..."

Minako looks at the view of the school for a minute...

"Minako, where's Makoto?" "I...don't know." "What do you mean?" "He didn't return to the dorm last night." "WHAT!?" My voice echoed throughout the train.

"He said he was looking into the traitor." "How is he going to do that!?" "He said he had heard about a bunch of crimes happening lately, so he said he was going to experiment with something..." "With what?" "With some sort of online website." "Did he say!?" "An assassination website." "Is that true!?" "Yeah...*Sob* we need to find him."

Minako: the strong-willed girl; this girl who always starts messing with me... Is Crying.

"Please!" "Don't worry..." "*Sniffle*" "I don't know what Makoto was thinking, but... I'll find him." "*Sob* Thank you."

"When the Dark Hour hits we'll start the search." "Why!" "Because then Fuuka will be able to find him." "I'll do everything in my power to find him "Thank you."

Gekkoukan high, Rooftop, Afterschool 

After school, I had Fuuka go home with Minako. I'm waiting on top of the roof for M.G.

"Kazuki..." "M.G. we need to talk." "If you called me here to thank me for helping you get into the school, and knocking out the guards on the 21st, you don't-" "Cut the bullshit!" "Excuse me!?" "Makoto Yuki, have you heard anything about him!?" "No, what is this about?" "He was looking into you guys specifically!" "I see, so you assume I did something to him." "Look, I don't know anything about you, as far as I see it: you might actually be an enemy after all." "*Sigh*"

Rin comes in my direction...

"What is it..." "Do you have a pencil..?" "Huh?" "A pencil..." "Oh." I rummage through my bag... "Here." "Thank you."

She brings a notebook out of her bag...

"Allow me to ask you this: you say there's a traitor within the Kirijo group, yes?" "Exactly." "How many Evokers do you think they had made?" "Two." "Wrong, more than that." "Seriously!" "Indeed." "Also, I am apart of the group that is in allegiance with a traitor." "Then can you give me some info then." "Alas, I can't." "Why not!?" "Would you be willing to risk the safety of your friends?" "What!?"

"If I were to tell you something bad might happen." "Damn it!" "I'm sorry Kazuki, but that's the reality of it."

Rin looks into the distance...

"Can I ask you something?" "Fire away." "Why do you care? I mean, do you even know why?" "Um...I guess I just want whats best for everyone, I guess." M.G. didn't respond to my answer to her question. "I'll get going now, I need to get ready to find him."

I begin to walk towards the door.

"Hey, if you find Makoto, can you help him?" "I can't make any promises, but I'll try." "Thanks." "And Kazuki..." "Yeah" *Stab* "What the!?" M.G. threw the pencil into the door right in front of me. "I won't tell you if I'm an enemy or not, that is entirely up to you." "Okay, then why the hell did you throw a pencil so damn close to me!?" "I was giving it back..." "WHAT!" "It's rude to not take a generous gift from a classmate." "Generous my ass, you almost hit me with that!" "But I didn't."

Sometimes this women makes me wonder what my life has become...

I take my pencil out of the door and I take my leave. I noticed something on the pencil; a piece of paper... I take off the tape that's strapping the paper onto the pencil... I unfold the paper and it reads... _"The sword is in your room."_ "Wait, when did she... *Sigh* That doesn't matter right now, I need to head back."

I make my way towards the dorm. We'll find Makoto before the full moon!

7/5 Tu, Iwatodai dormitory, Command room, Dark Hour

The second the Dark Hour hits the world, Fuuka used her Persona to try and locate Makoto.

"Did you find him yet!?" " _Not yet..._ " "Damn it!" "Calm down Mino-chan." "How the hell can I stay calm, he's been out there for two days now. He might be out there, hurt, or worse." "Have some faith in him...he is the leader for a reason ya know."

Minako looks more frustrated, then relieved.

"Just hurry up and find him." "I try harder." "You better!" "She's trying her best." "She better be trying to find him, or-" "Or what" "Or I'll give her a reason to work faster." "I know you're concerned about Makoto, but don't you dare threaten her!" I see Minako clenching her fist. She came to use for help, and here she is doubting our skills.

"Huh?" "What is it Fuuka!?" "Did you find him!?" "No, but I feel another presence around us, in this room." "What!?"

Who could it be...

"Why, hello there players." We all look behind us to find a man in a black suit, and he has a smug look on his face. "Who the hell are you!?" "A young lady like yourself shouldn't talk like that." "Shut the hell up and tell me who you are!"

"I go by many names..." In the blink of an eye, we see two Minako's...

"What's happening here?" "Some can call me Minako Arisato..." "Cut it out! "Others may call me..." He switches appearance again. "...Makoto Yuki." "SCREW YOU!" "Minako wait!" "SUSANO-O" *Bang* Her Persona's swords fly towards the unknown intruder... "DIE DAMN IT!" "...While my real name is-" *Bang* The swords crash into the wall. Damn, she really did a number on that wall.

"*Pant* *pant* *Pant*"

When the dust settled, we were all shock to see the result of the attack. "The hell!?" "...Nyarlathotep." "WHAT!?" If he is who he says he is, I need to get everybody out of here. "EVERYBODY, RUN!" "No, no, no...we can't let that happen, now can we." With the wave if his hand, we were all held in place by a shadowy presence. "Don't worry, I won't kill you, but instead..." He walks over to Minako...

"You'll do it." "Huh?" "Why would I do that!?" "I see, I guess you aren't the type for words." He reached his hands to her head. Minako was trying to break away from her confinement but to no avail. The moment his fingers touched her forehead, she gasped. It was a few moments of seeing her twist and turn in agony. "Get away from her you son of a bitch," I roared. "Oh no, not yet. We're near the climax." "AHHHHH!"

It was after that painful scream, he let go of her head and she dropped to the ground like a sack of bricks. She then got back up without trying to lung herself at Nyarlathotep.

"So, what's your answer now..?" I clicked my teeth. "She's not going to accept your offer, she's-" "I accept..." "Wha-" "Minako-chan?" "I accept your offer..."

The things keeping us in place were destroyed the moment she accepted. "Do you want to know how you can save Makoto," Nyar asked her "How?" "...By killing those two and everyone else in this building," he none nonchalantly stated. "I can't beat Kei on a one-on-one fight." "Not a problem..."

Nyarlathotep snapped his fingers, and with that, a surge of energy ran through her.

"This'll do." "Minako-chan..." "Fuuka, we need to run!" Minako picks up her Evoker. " **Susano-o, Vorpal blade."** *Bang* The Persona was heading towards us with the intent of killing us! "Kazuki-kun, over here!" I run over towards Fuuka... "Protect us from harm, please, Lucia." I made it inside of Fuuka's Persona in time before the attack went through.

The sword was moving way to fast for me to see. "Tear her Persona apart!" The slashes were hitting her Persona... "Ahhh!" "FUUKA!" I grab Fuuka before she hit the ground.

"Hey, are you okay!?" "Mm-hmm." "Thank god." "Kazuki-kun...we have to lure her away from the others." "What do you mean 'we'!?" "Huh?" "If I let you come along with me you'll get hurt!"

Susano-o is still bashing at Fuuka's Persona... "You two might as well give up, I'll break that thing with my next attack." "Remember Minako, you must kill them before the dark hour ends." "I can do that..."

I look back at Fuuka, damn I don't have a lot of options here, do I?"

"Fuuka, when I say release you Persona, do it." "Okay!" I need to time this right! "Split it open Susano-o!" A horizontal slice now's our chance! "NOW!"

Lucia disappeared after I gave Fuuka the signal... *Clang* "Tch!" "Sorry, but it looks like my sword is able to withstand that attack." I push Susano-o away with all my might. Knowing my next course of action, I put away the sword, and I pickup Fuuka before Minako was able to wind-up for another attack.

"Hold on, this is gonna get bumpy!" "Alright." I jump the to the third floor and made my way out of the dorm.

...

"Minako, before you go..." Nyarlathotep materializes a weapon for me... "What is this?" "A weapon that will aid you, Vel Vel Meruga." "It feels...powerful." "I should hope so."

I started walking out of the command room... "What about the rest of them?" "They're all under a sleep ailment." "Oh..." "So don't worry about them. Just go out and have fun." "..."

I left the room, and all I hear in this quite dorm is the laughter of insanity.

I can't lose Makoto...I just can't. Even if it means I have to kill someone else, I'll never let anything take him away from this world.

Paulownia mall, Dark Hour

We got out of the dorm in a hurry. I hope she's coming after us instead of just taking out the others in the dorm.

"Kazuki-kun, I don't sense her anywhere near us." "I don't know if that's good or bad." "You should probably rest for now." "You're right."

I stop running to catch my breath...

"Fuuka, all we need to do is last an hour right?" "You think we should hide?" "You felt her power, what do you think." "I think we should." "If that's what you want, it's okay with me."

Just when I think everything was okay, the unexpected happened.

*Swoosh* "*Gasp* Kazuki-kun!" Fuuka jump at me so I wouldn't get hit by the attack.

*Boom*" "What the hell was that!?" "I- ow!" "Huh, what's wrong?" I move my hand away from Fuuka's back; blood...that's what I see when I remove my hand from her back.

"Are you okay Kazuki-kun?" "Why are you asking me that, you're the one who's hurt!" "I'm sorry, you're right..." "Damn, looks like I missed." "Minako, what the hell is wrong with you!?" "Sorry, but I have no choice..." "No choice my ass, if you were really sorry, you would stop this!" "I need to find Makoto as fast as I can." "Why!?" "Because he was the only one there for me." "What do you mean?" "Does it really matter at this point?"

Who is this person? Whoever she is, she isn't the Minako Arisato we know.

"Fuuka is bleeding, please just let me patch her up!" "Why would I. ...I'm trying to kill you." "So then tell me: what was everything we ever went through, huh!?" "Me saving you, our meeting, the bickering we always did, your strong-willed personality; hell the threat you said to me about kicking my ass in the afterlife if I made Fuuka cry... Was all that a lie!?" "No, it wasn't, I treasured all of it and I'll never forget you two, but I need to save Makoto."

It's no use... She won't listen to reason. I guess I only have one more ace up my sleeve.

"Fuuka, I know you're hurt, but I need you to hang to me real tight." "O-okay..." I put Fuuka on my back, then with no other option opened to me, I made a break for the pharmacy. "Come back, Meruga!" The spear came flying back to her... "Goodbye..." She launched the spear at the pharmacy...

*Boom*

...

"Are they dead?" I walked over to the remains of the pharmacy. So far I don't see any dead body's. Did they get out in time? And if so, how was he able to get medical supplies he needed? "Damn, why doesn't he just go down!?"

"What the...!?" I found a hole leading into the antique store. "That crafty bastard!" I ran out of the mall to search for them.

Port Island station, Dark Hour

I sat Fuuka down so I can apply the appropriate means of treatment.

"Fuuka, this gonna burn a bit." "I know...I'll be alright" "You're losing blood..."

I begin to apply the disinfectant on Fuuka's back "..."

She seems to be in a lot of pain... Why did this have to happen?

"Okay, I'm finished, are you okay?" "Yeah, I'm fine." "Good, now all I need to do is wrap some bandages around that wound." "Can I do it myself?" "Why?" "Ummm, you know." "Oh, um, sure... Go right ahead.

I hand Fuuka the bandages. I helped her off the ground, and I let her get some privacy in the girl's bathroom.

"Kazuki-kun...c-ca-can you help me?" "Umm, ahhh...sure..."

When I entered the inside of the girl's restroom, Fuuka's uniform is halfway up, but not high enough to see anything else. And I like to keep it that way... (It would've been more awkward than it already is.)

"Alright, I'm almost done." "What do think will happen now?" "I think we'll have report this to Mitsuru." "But." "I know, I don't want to either, but you saw her, she nearly killed us back there." "..." "She wants us dead, and she'll probably do anything to make sure we do turn up dead."

We sure are in a predicament; If we try to run back to the dorm, maybe we could... No, that wouldn't work. Because if we do that, there's no telling if Nyarlathotep is still there. "What do we do?"

"Ummm, Kazuki-kun..." "What's up?" "Are you okay?" "Yeah, I'm fine, but what about yourself?" "Hmm?" "You got hit with a weapon that literally destroyed a portion of the mall. Nobody can shake that off easily." "Actually it still hurts, but I know I'll be fine." "You really are a trooper." "I am?" "Yep, you are."

I wrap the bandage around one last time before I stop. "Done." Fuuka rolls down here uniform down, covering the lower half of her back again.

"Here..." "A drink?" "It's juice, you need to get your blood sugar back up." "Thank you." "No problem."

She tried to poke the straw in the hole... "You need help with that?" "No, I'm good." "Are you sure." "I am." She finally got the straw in the hole, and she started drinking the juice. She was making a rather happy face while she was drinking. She looked like a happy child; it's rather cute...

While Fuuka was drinking the juice, I heard something. "That was good... Um, Kazuki-kun?" "We need to run!" "*Gasp* It's..." "...Now!" I pick Fuuka up and I ran out of the bathroom as quickly as possible."

"Brave blade." I see her Persona behind us after it came out of the destroyed bathroom.

"SKEITH!" Skeith hits Susano-o's sword.. *Persona shattering* "Damn it!" It shattered my Persona with no problem at all, and upon that I felt pain in my arm.

"This is the end, Ziodyne." *Bang* Lightning comes raining from the sky. "Goodbye, forever..." "I won't allow that, Lucia!" Fuuka's Persona takes the hit for us... *Boom* "AHHHHH!" "Fuuka!"

The attack didn't go through... Although, her Persona took the hit, and Fuuka still got hurt in the end.

"Fuuka why did you do that, I could've taken the hit instead and we would've both been okay!?" "Because...I don't want to see you get hurt." "How you think I feel!" "I'm sorry...you're right..."

She's hurt and I can't do anything about it...

"Giving up?" "Skeith!" My Persona went flying over to Minako... "Just trying to resist." She slashed my Persona in half, and in return for that, I felt the pain. "ARRGHH" "Are you done yet?" "Why?" "Huh?" "WHY AM I SO DAMN WEAK!?"

"When I have to fight a shadow, I'm able to do it! But whenever I need to fight a human being, I just can't seem to win!" I slam my fist to the ground in frustration... "DAMN IIIIIT" "Looks like you have given up. Good, it's better like this."

Minako raises her weapon, aiming like you would throw a javelin. "I'll kill you both, quickly." While I waited for the end, I heard something.

*Clang* "What the hell!?" "You gained too much for an unjust cause." "You!" "M.G."

M.G. walked past towards me with Minako giving her a deathly stare...

"Kazuki, stand up," I got from the floor as M.G. instructed me. "Thanks, M.G. I-" *Smack* "..." "Kazuki, you damn fool!"

 **Welp, Minako went all terminator on Kazuki and Fuuka, but the question is why? Find out next time on a chapter I'll be doing later on called "Episode Minako". (Whenever I am able to make it...) Oh, I almost forgot, hello everybody, Proxy's saga here. So Minako did a 180 with her personality when it came to finding Makoto. And that makes me scared because I don't know if I pulled off well. (Hopefully, I did.) Also, Nyarlathotep finally arrived to mess with everybody's life, and he gave Minako a power-up, (Sarcastically) hooray. So what will happen now, only time will tell. So until the next chapter; (Which is being worked on as I type.) See ya...**


	18. To protect

7/5 Mon, Port island station, Dark Hour

"Kazuki, you damn fool!" I felt a painful sensation against my cheek... What the...?

"Why did you do that!?" "Because you needed it." "The hell do you mean, I-" "Kazuki!" I freeze when M.G yells my name. "Listen to me, please." "..." "Thank you."

She starts to walk over to Fuuka with some sort-of glow forming at her hands.

"Hmm, she doesn't appear to be too hurt, but it'll take time to heal her, so you need to fight her." "But-" "...But nothing. She decided to be your enemy and tried to kill both of you, will you allow her to continue to do so?" "I-" "Are you scared?" "Huh!?" "You're scared of losing again." "No, I'm-" "...You are!" "..." "When you lost to me that made you realize that there are people stronger than you..." "..." "But you wanted to be stronger, strong enough to protect your friends and your loved ones. However, you'll never be able to improve if you keep cursing your own strength. So stop crying that you can't protect anyone, and actually do it!"

She's right... "You're right, you're absolutely right..." "Enough of this, I'm killing all of you in an instant."

She begins to power-up her weapon for another attack.

"Shoot Meru-" Before she tried to launch that weapon at us, I went in to hit her with my sword.

"Crap!" *Clang*

"Sup" She blocks my attack, Albeit that's a good thing. Now she won't be able to fire that weapon at the girls.

"Kazuki, if you truly want to be strong, fight with all the power you have, right now." "Gotcha."

I just remembered something... "Hey, M.G..." "You need something?" "Take her and heal her somewhere far away from?" "If you promise to win this fight, I will" "I can't promise anything."

I hear a light Chuckle come from Rin... "You truly don't listen to what I say do you?" "I never said that... After all, I did hear you motivate me." "*Chuckle* I guess you did."

Rin picks up Fuuka and started running into a back alley behind the station. "I won't let you get away!"

Minako pushes me away from her. Can't let her fire that!

"Shoo-" "Skeith!"

I summoned Skeith and she blocked his incoming attack with her spear.

"I'm not letting you do that." "You bastard!" "You can call me whatever you like, but it won't stop me from winning this fight." "Just drop dead!"

Minako leaps forward at me... "Susano-o!" *Bang* "Skeith, launch me!" Skeith threw me past Susano-o's attack.

*Clang* "You want me, you got me." "You seem pretty confident for a person who was crying about not being strong enough." "I know, but..."

I started slashing at her weapon, trying to break it. "HAA!" *Clang* "You're gonna have to do better than that!" "Are you sure about that?" "You're nothing!" "We'll see about that We dealt some cuts to each other and some bruises until I sliced her arm "ARGHHH!"

"I'm sorry that we need to fight each other. But we don't need to; we can act like this never happened." "Screw you!" "Please just listen to me!"

We slashed at each other for what seemed like an eternity; it felt like I was getting no-where in this fight. Maybe I should use Ocean's stream? No, I can do it once right now and that's it, I need to time it right.

"Susano-o, Vorpal blade!" *Bang* "Skeith, show your stuff!" The two personas were in a battle of speed, now's my chance! I ran over towards Minako, readying my sword for a strike... "Think you're clever!?" "I like to think so..." She thrust her weapon in my direction; I dodge out of the way, and I make a move towards her sides.

"I'm sorry for this!..." I slice at her side... A burst of blood comes from Minako's side.

"ARRGHH!" "You made this choice, you could've stopped all of this when I asked you to." "RAHHHH, SHOOT..." Suddenly. a surge of energy is seen running into the spear... " **YOU'LL DIE HERE!"**

Whoever this girl is, she's definitely not the Minako we knew. And I have to accept that.

 **"SHOOT, MERUGA!"** "Stop Minako, you're hurt! If you do this, it could kill you!" "I don't care anymore!"

She launches the attack right at me, I block the attack. "(Grunting)" "Why did you block that?" Minako looks behind me... "Oh I see, you're protecting some of those transmogrified people, huh?" "(Grunting) What is it to you!?" "It's an advantage..." "What!?" "Ziodyne" *Bang*

Lightning came crashing right at me... "ARGGGHHH!" "Trust me, I'm not finished yet." She used Ziodyne over and over again, continuously hitting me with it. But no matter how many times it hit, I still kept blocking Meruga's shot.

"How much longer can you keep this up!?" "For as long as it takes!" "Then you're an idiot for believing that saving these people will make you be some sort of hero!" "I never said that (Grunting) I originally fought to only protect Fuuka... But then M.G smacked me across the face and made me realize something: I have the power to protect, and all I did with it was complain that I couldn't do anything..." "So what!?" "So I'm done complaining, I'm going to protect everybody...even if that means fighting you! "Tch, whatever, either way, you'll die from this shot soon or later. This will kill you!"

The shot is still trying to tear right through my sword... It felt like the more this went on, the hotter it was getting. I don't see any further options left, guess it's time...

"Let's do this!"

I was pouring all the _SP_ I had into my sword, and I used all the strength Skeith can give me to push back Meruga. It was working for the most part "(Grunting) Come on... Just a bit further!" "Can't handle it..." I gotta ignore her, I need to focus on the matter at hand! "You're gonna die either way tonight, so just cut your losses and let Meruga kill those three."

"(Grunting) Damn, this isn't enough to deflect the attack!

 **"Stop your whining, kid."** "That voice?" **"Yeah, yeah, it's me again, so what!** I was astonished by what I heard in my head. **"If you die, that would be a huge problem for me, so I'll let you use some of my power."** "What!?" **"You heard me, jackass, here's some of my power... Don't waste it."**

Suddenly, I felt this surge of power course through my body... It felt amazing! "Yeah, this'll do!" "What the hell, his power just jumped out of nowhere... Was it Nyarlathotep!?" I start to push back the Meruga further than before.

"How are you doing that!?" "I really don't know myself..."

I began to use this new found energy and I store it into my sword with the rest of my energy. It's ready! "Time to end this!" "You're right, I'm going to end this now!" Minako put her Evoker to her head... "Susano-o, end this" *Bang*

"(Grunting) This is everything I got right now, so take a good hard look, and eat it!" I begin to yell with all my might... "RAHHHHHHHH, OCEAN'S...STREAM!" Instead of a sea-blue energy, I shot out a wave of white with a shade of black at the edges against Meruga. Which in turn sent it flying away...

The wave was moving too fast for Minako to react. ...And in the end, it did damage I didn't mean to have it do.

"ARRRRGGGGGGHHH!" Her right eye was bleeding incredibly. Shit, I didn't mean to do that!

"Mino-chan, are you okay?" "YOU BASTARD, MY EYE!" That wasn't meant to cut human beings... What the hell was that!? "Minako...I-I didn't mean to do that!" "It's too late...you already decide too, now we see what happens, But remember this: you won't get in the way of me finding Makoto!"

Before I could say something, she pulled something out of her skirt and threw it to the ground; a smoke screen When the smoke cleared, she was gone... "Did I...win?" The area was clear, Minako was nowhere to be found. "I actually did it."

I was able to beat Minako, even she was more powerful than me, I still pulled through... Even though I didn't feel like I won.

I looked at the moon... I'm finally able to fight seriously now. Good, I was getting tired of being thrown around.

Outside of Iwatodai dormitory, Midnight

I returned to the dorm after I received a message from Rin's Crow.

"Kazuki, it appears you've won." "Yeah...I did." "You don't seem happy, why?" "It doesn't matter." I shake my head to get the thought of slicing Minako's eye out.

"Where's Fuuka?" "When I was healing her, she saw me." "She saw your face!" "No, I was wearing my mask." "Oh, okay..." "Anyway, when she came to, I asked her where I should put her..." "Where did you?" "She wanted to wait for you in your room." "I see..."

I walked up the steps of the stairs... "M.G., I'm not gonna ask you to train me to become stronger, that's too vague." "What for then?" "I'm gonna ask you to train me so I can fight to protect the people I care about." "We can work with that."

I see M.G walking away from the dorm, however, she turns around to say one last thing to me... "What are you going to do now?" "Tell Fu-chan who you really are, if it's okay with you?" "It's your decision..." "Okay."

M.G. began to walk away from the dorm after I gave her my thanks. I went inside the dorm tired and exhausted from all that fighting...

Iwatodai dormitory, Kei Kazuki's room, Midnight

I opened the door to my room; it felt cold in here.

"(Whispering) Hey, Fu-chan, you awake?" I went over to her to see if her injuries were healed. "Nothing. M.G. really is good at healing people." "Well, in that case, I'll let you take the bed for tonight..."

I drag out a futon from under the bed... I patted off the dust off on it and I placed it in front of the mattress frame.

"I'm about to go to sleep, wake me up in the morning." I kiss her on the cheek and I saw a smile on her face. It made me smile as well. I crawled right into the futon, but not before locking the door.

I started to feel the weight of my fatigue beginning to take effect. I began to close my eyes. I think it's about time Philemon and I had a little talk.

The sea of Kazuki's soul,?

When I open my eyes I see Philemon standing right in front of me; he knows what happened.

"Philemon, you already know, don't you." "I have a grasp of the situation you're referring to." "Then you should have warned us!" "I wasn't aware that he was going to appear this early, so it came to me as a surprise." "Oh...sorry then." "It's fine..."

Philemon looks at the buildings in this place; I started to gaze at them as well.

"Hey, when did the buildings get taller?" "Your heart is growing stronger each and every single day, along with your soul." "I see..."

I begin to look at the top of the sea, I see a small light reflecting on the water. "Is that the moon, or a sun?" "You'll see someday. For now, it's a beautiful light hitting the water, and piercing through it..." "Yeah..." The words he said sounded poetic, but yet it touched my heart for some reason.

"I believe I should let you leave now..." "Really?" Once again, everything begins to fade into black.

"Kazuki, it'll be a while before we see each other again, so heed my words. You need to keep a tight grip on yourself, or else you'll never be the same." That was the last thing I heard before everything was warped into darkness.

7/6, Tues, Iwatodai dormitory, Kei Kazuki's room, Morning

"Kazuki-kun, wake-up, wake-up." I began to worry, maybe he used too much energy in his fight with Minako-chan.

"*Yawn* I'm awake..." "Oh thank goodness." "You look worried, what happened?" "You should see for yourself..." "Alright, but let me change first."

Iwatodai dormitory, third floor, Morning

"What the..!?" I was at the remains of my room...

Everybody else (except Minako, and Makoto) was here; I was still dumbfounded by the amount of damage done to this part of the building.

"Duuuude, what the hell happened!?" "Were we attacked by shadows last night," Yukari-chan asked with a confused look on her face. "Were we unaware of any type of attack towards this building!?" "We weren't ready..." Akihiko-senpai said with some irradiation in his voice.

"In any case, we have an operation tonight, well discuss it during Yamagishi's search."

We all dispersed for school, but with the exception of Kazuki-kun and me.

"I think we should tell Mitsu-chan what happened last night." "It seems like the only thing to do, but..." "Don't worry, I'm going to find Makoto, and help Minako in the process."

I nodded at Kazuki-kun. It's settled, tonight we tell everyone what happened in the command room.

"Fu-chan, listen, I need to tell you something important." "What is it?" "It's about Rin Shizuka..." I begin to feel some a sort of feeling forming in my chest; doubt...? "What about Rin-chan?" "You see the thing is..." He gets on his knees and starts bowing... "I'm so sorry for keeping a lot of secrets from you." "What do you mean..." I really hope he isn't going to say what I think he's going to say. "Rin Shizuka...is a Persona user." "Huh?" Wait, what?

"Rin Shizuka is a persona user, she knows she is one and so do I, but I kept it hidden from you."

I look at Kazuki-kun for a minute, I can't see his face but his voice sounds sincere. "It's okay Kazuki-kun, please stand-up." He gets up from the floor when I asked him to.

"So, Rin-chan is a persona user." "Yeah, an incredibly strong one at that. She's the one that saved us from Minako and she's the one who healed you." "She was able to heal me even with the amount of damage I've taken!?" "Like I said, she's a strong Persona user."

Kazuki-kun starts to walk over to the stairs... "We should probably get going." "You're right, we'll be late if we don't start leaving."

I went down to the lounge where Kazuki-kun was waiting for me, he looked like he had more to tell.

"There's a lot more I need to tell you. I-" "Kazuki-kun, you don't need to tell me right now... You can tell me when you're ready, and when you are, I'll listen." "Alright..."

We exited the dorm... Tonight is the operation, I'm gonna do whatever I can to aid everybody in battle and protect Kazuki-kun.

"We can do this!" "Looks like someone is hyped." "Huh! Oh, sorry." "Why are you apologizing? It's cool that you're getting pumped." "Really, then I'll get pumped some more then." "Yeah! Let's get pumped!"

We continued to get pumped until we reached our class... It made us look weird, but I had fun doing it.

Gekkoukan high, Class: 2-E, Morning

When I entered the class with Kazuki-kun, I spotted Rin-chan.

"Rin-chan, can I talk to you?" "Of course..." I bow my head towards her... "Thank you for helping Kazuki-kun when he needed it!" "Excuse me?" "He told me about last night." "I see...so you know." "Yes, I do."

It was quiet for a moment...

"But how were you able to hide your Persona's presence?" "I have my ways..." "Oh..."

I heard the late bell ringing... "Listen to me: if you know about my Persona abilities, you must also know that I'm helping Kazuki become stronger." "He mentioned it." "Then may I ask you something?" "Sure..." "You can be a useful due to your abilities, so make sure you stay that way." "O-okay." "Good..."

Rin-chan and I took our seats, I promise both Kazuki-kun and Rin-chan I'll be there when the time comes...

Iwatodai dormitory, Lounge, Evening

I was ready for this, Fu-chan looked ready for this. Good, we're gonna need every single fiber of conviction to do this!

We entered the dorm with a lot of time to spare before the Dark Hour, so we need to tell them.

"Mitsuru, we have something to tell you!"

"...And what would that be, _Kei-chan_ "

My heart skipped a couple of beats before I realized who it was. Fuuka started shaking at the mere thought of knowing who it was. I put my arm around her and bring her closer to me.

"What's the matter, you look so scared Fu-Fu-chan."

Minako...!

 **Well holy crap, Minako got destroyed (And I don't mean her eye.) By the way, hello everybody, Proxy's saga here. ...And I like to announce the new update schedule that I can hopefully stick to... Hopefully.**

 **From now on I'll be uploading one new chapter weekly, and if I don't update a new chapter for that week, then I'll upload that chapter along with the new chapter the next week. But I might take days off for holidays, or for announced hiatus, but overall I will try to stick with this schedule, and I hope this way the people that read this fic will be able to know when I updated. (I also wanted to do it this way so my uploads wouldn't be random.)**

 **So this new update schedule will take effect next month. With that being said, I hope you guys had a good time reading this chapter because it's going to get a whole lot more complicated for Kazuki-kun. Also, follow the story if you want to know when a new chapter is uploaded, and leave a review on how you thought about this and future chapters. Until the next chapter; see ya...**

 **Bonus: Spare clothes**

 **Kazuki: Hey Fu-chan...**

 **Fuuka: Yes...**

 **Kazuki: What happened to the tear on the back-side of your uniform?**

 **Fuuka: Oh, this is a new uniform, why?**

 **Kazuki: I'm only asking because your room had all your other uniforms in there, right?**

 **Fuuka: ...**

 **Kazuki: Did you put Spare clothes in my room...?**

 **Fuuka: I might have done that without your consent.**

 **Kazuki: Nah, it's alright, but where are they**

 **Fuuka: They're in a suitcase inside your closet.**

 **Kazuki: Really...**

 **Fuuka: Kazuki-kun, why did you say it like that..?**

 **Kazuki: I have no idea what you're talking about.**

 **Fuuka: Kazuki-kun, please don't look inside my suitcase.**

 **Kazuki: I wasn't originally, but now...**

 **Fuuka: You really don't need to!**

 **Kazuki: ...Are you sure~?**

 **Fuuka: Now you're acting like a jerk!**

 **Kazuki: I'm sorry Fu-chan; come on Fu-chan, don't leave me behind; Fu-chan please wait-up, I'm sorry!**


	19. The fourth Moon

7/6 Iwatodai dormitory, lounge, evening

What's wrong Fu-Fu-chan, you're shaking like a leaf... Did I scare you somehow?" "I-I-I"

What the hell is she doing here!? I thought she wasn't apart of the team anymore, why is she here then? Huh, I see something white around her eye.

"Well, Fu-Fu-chan, did I scare you?" "Ummmm...I-" "She must've been scared by the wraps by your right eye."

Everyone in the lounge started to wonder what I meant by that... "Arisato, what wraps is he talking about?" "Did ya get hit by something Mino-tan?" "I don't think you guys want to see..." "Don't worry Minako, it doesn't matter as long as you're alright." Yukari is being considerate towards Minako... She wouldn't be if she knew what happened last night.

"Are you guys sure?" Minako's acting weird about all this; she seems like she wants to show them.

"Fine, I'll show you, just don't freak out, okay?" "You're among allies Arisato...there's nothing to fear." "Thank you, Mitsuru-san"

She moved the hair covering her right eye and began to unwrap the bandages. Before she displayed the eye I covered Fuuka eyes so she wouldn't see.

"My goodness!" "Oh my god!" "Holy shit, your eye, what the hell happened to your eye!?" "When did that happen!?"

Everyone in the room started panicking over Minako's damaged... "*Sob* I'm sorry you guys had to see this *Sob* I-I..." "It's alright Minako..."

Yukari went up to her and gripped her hand. "...But what happened, who did this to you?" "I...don't know, they were wearing hoodies and they covered their faces." "Wait, how many were there!?" "Two..."

Mitsuru went into deep in thought...

"So the dorm was infiltrated by two intruders and we didn't know!" "They said they put you all under some sort of sleep ailment." " "Now that ya mention it, I kinda did felt more tired than I should've been." "Yeah, me too..." Looks like Junpei and Yukari remember that.

"It must've hit during the Dark Hour." "That's the only reasonable explanation."

They all must've woke-up the moment Minako attacked us in the command room, but then got affected by a sleep ailment.

"...Did this happen last night?" "Yes, Mitsuru-san, it did." "All of this happens the night before the operation, this can't be a sheer coincidence for some random intruders to raid the dorm." "What do you mean Mitsuru," Akihiko asked

Mitsu-chan looks over towards us...

"Yamagishi's room was destroyed not by chance, but maybe in an execution of a plan." "You serious!?" I reacted for some reason. "This is only speculation, although if I appear to be right, they were aiming to kill Yamagishi!"

No, there's something wrong with all of this. This doesn't make sense; the way her room was destroyed was like something shot through it. (Meruga to be specific.) And if so, why would they try and kill Fuuka by just straight-out destroying her room; these so-called "intruders" could've just sneaked inside the dorm and they could've done the deed.

Her story has holes in it and nobody notices them.

"As that may be, at least Fu-Fu-chan is alright." "Speaking of which, how did Fuuka make it out of her room safely," Jun just asked the wrong question. "I wonder that as well" Mitsuru is getting curious about the wrong thing too.

"Kazuki-kun and I were in the command room with her." Nice one, Fu-chan. Now she'll have to confirm why we were in there.

"Why were you all in there to begin with," Mitsu-chan asked Minako.

"Were searching for Makoto..." "What do you mean?" Junpei said with a confused look on his face. "Makoto is missing." "Really!" Yukari's surprised tone nearly made an echo.

"I don't think he is missing though. I think someone kidnapped him." "The hell, someone kidnapped Makoto!" "Damn, that could be bad!" Both Junpei and Akihiko seem surprised by the mere fact of someone capturing Makoto, hell, so was I...

"We'll have to discuss this later, the Dark Hour is almost here." "Mitsuru's right, we need to get our heads in the game." "Senpai's right, let's kick some ass, then we'll talk later!" Junpei stated in a very simplistic way.

"Alright... Everyone, prepare for the operation!" We nod our heads and almost all the members dispersed. However...

"Kei-chan, Fu-Fu-chan...can I borrow a bit of your time, please." We both turned around even when we didn't want to.

"You look so scared Fu-Fu-chan, why?" "I'm-I'm not." "Course you're aren't..."

She walks to us in a calm manner, but it felt menacing at the same time.

"Why did you destroy Fuuka's room?" "...I needed my story to hold-up, so I did some interior decorating." "Well, you did a bang-up job with the room; ten out of ten!"

She puts her hand over the bandages... "You caused me a great deal of pain Kei-chan...what are we gonna do about?" "I'm sorry for your injury."

Suddenly, Minako grabs Fuuka's neck... "*Awk*" "Let her go!" "Why should I?" "That's it!" I threw a punch her way. She moved her other arm fast enough to catch it. She slammed me to the floor

"Tsk, tsk, tsk Kei-chan, you should know that hitting a lady is a bad thing." "Damn!" "Now Ms. Yamagishi is gonna have to pay for it..." "Kazuki...kun, ARGHHH!" "Wait, stop, please!" "Why should I, what's stopping me from crushing her neck?"

I began to feel scared; if I make a wrong move, Fuuka dies.

"B-Because then you wouldn't be able to Makoto!" "Huh?"

"That's right, you wouldn't be able to find him if she isn't alive!" "Hmm, I don't really need her alive to find him..." "I'll just level the city if I need to..." Is she serious!?

"Although, if I do kill her here, I might get convicted of killing Yamagishi, and I wouldn't want that, so~...

Minako let's go of Fuuka's neck, and she started coughing

"Two months..." "Huh?" "You have until then find Makoto. "...And if we don't?" "...Then I'll kill you both."

Minako went over to stairs...

"Oh, if you tell anyone else about this, or what really happened last night, I'll have to kill them..."

Minako started climbing the stairs like nothing happened... What the hell is going on; she was like an entirely different person.

"Fuuka are you-" Before I could finish my sentence, Fuuka lunged right at me; I can feel her shaking. "It's okay now, I'm right here." "*Sobbing* I was so scared." "I'm sorry I couldn't do anything, but if she tries something like that again, I'll make her pay for it."

All I heard was Fuuka crying and sniffling; I felt angry at myself, but I'm not gonna let Minako do as she pleases, I'm definitely not going to allow her to hurt Fuuka like that again.

"Kazuki-kun..." "I'm here." "can you stay with me during the operation?" "I ain't going nowhere." "Thank you."

7/7 Mon, Shirakawa Boulevard, Dark Hour

When we arrived at Shirakawa Boulevard I told everyone that I would be staying behind. Nobody was against the idea, so they all left us behind and Fu-chan began to navigate the inside of the "hotel" for them.

"I'm sorry it's cramped in here." "Not at all, it's okay the way it is." I was beginning to get comfortable. "Oh, they just encounter an enemy." "Tell me when they're done fighting." "Alright..."

I pulled out a manga from the bag I brought along with me.

"Is that manga?" "Yeah..." "I was wondering, is there any manga on sci-fi?" "Tons actually, you wanna read some?" "Sure, but not ones about time travel, or ones with magic in it." "Aren't we picky, don't worry I have some that can satisfy your taste." "Thank you, and by the way, I'm not picky."

I was reading until Fuuka made an announcement. "They just engaged the full moon shadow." "Really, give me the details." "Right now, Minako isn't fighting at full power!" "...She must not want to, or else her story about the so-called "intruders" will be a contradiction." "It appears to be that way..."

Fuuka was telling me all the details about what was going on inside there.

"They did it!" "Sweet!" "Junpei-kun delivered the final blow." "Good on him."

Fuuka responded towards their victory against the shadow...

"Wait, what's going on!?" "What's wrong!?" "Something happened in there!" "Was the shadow still alive!?" "No, its reading evaporated like I said before." Damn, maybe Minako did something! No that would make no sense, we didn't break her terms or the deadline.

"Kazuki-kun, can you go inside there and see what happened?" "Will you be fine without me?" "I can manage..." "Okay, then."

Fuuka released Lucia for me to enter the "hotel" to see what happened.

"Oi, asshole, where you going?" I stopped dead in my tracks after hearing what I just heard.

" _Wait, Kazuki-kun I sense someone else here!"_ "No shit, I'm right here, you dumb bit-" *Thump* "ARGGH" "You better not say that last word!"

I kicked Katsu in the stomach before his foot made contact with Fuuka's Persona...

"*Cough* *Cough* *Cough* Damn, that was a dirty shot, loser!" "Was it really?" "There we go with that smart attitude, I think I should show you how to respect people who can seriously mess your shit up!" "Come and try it, but the girl has nothing to do with this, you understand me!?" "Huh, did you get your self a hoe while I was awa-" *Bam* "ARRRGH" I used all of my own strength, while using Skeith's agility to be able to move towards Katsu, and ultimately hit him in the gut.

"That hurt a hell of a lot." "That's what you get for insulting that lady over there!" "So, if I keep doing it will you fight with everything you got?" "I'm gonna fight with everything I got regardless." "Good, it wouldn't be fun if you didn't!"

Katsu lights his foot on fire while making his way towards me. "You better ready your ass!" *Bam* "Trust me, I'm ready..." Our legs bashed against each other. My leg felt like it was being burned in a furnace! I drew my sword, swinging it towards Katsu... *Clang* "*Whistle* Where the hell you get that sweet-ass sword like that, did ya steal it?" "...It was a gift." "One hell of a gift." I look at his leg... It doesn't even look he got a cut when my sword made contact with his leg.

"How is your leg okay?" "Who really cares, let's just get to the fighting!" He lunged right at me with enough force to destroy a building. I blocked with enough strength to make it out okay. "It seems you gotten a lot better since our last fight, huh." "I didn't want to be thrown on my ass ever again, so I got better." "Oh, yeah...I heard little old M.G. kicked your ass inside that giant ass tower." "Yeah, she did." "Wait...M.G is a chick!?" "You didn't know?" "Hell no, maybe that's why she always quite, and acts like a cold bitch."

M.G. must've been very careful about her identity even around her own teammates.

"Speaking of chicks, how's the red-eyes bimbo I tried to nail to the ground?" "She's doing fine." "...Maybe I should pay her a visit later."

I need to get inside that "hotel", but I need to get him off my back first. "I'm going to hit hard on this one, ass-hat." As Katsu said, he jumps against and off the wall of a building and started to build a bigger flame on his right leg; He started to descend with all that heat backing him up.

" _Kazuki-kun, you need to avoid that attack! It's a concentrated Agi-like attack!"_ "Would I be able to counter it!?" " _Huh?" "_ If I hit him with an attack of my own, would I be able to counter?" "If it's powerful enough, then yes!" "Well then..."

I powered-up all the _SP_ I can muster...

" _What is that?" "_ Is this enough!?" " _Huh, yes...it is!"_ "Good!"

I held my sword to my side; aiming my swing.

"Ocean's..."

"Whatcha doing down there!?"

"...Strea-!"

 **"This looks like a lot of fun, let me take the wheel for a bit."**

"What the-"

Before I could comprehend what was going on, I was overrun with a sense of something more violent taking over. "What the hell...is happening!?" "Take it, bitch!" *Boom* "KAZUKI!"

I was looking at the scene of the crash. When the dust started to settle I saw two figures

...

"What the hell!?" "Huh?" **"Take what?"** "This is bullshit!" **"I'm still waiting~"** "...That should've killed you!" **"You want the party to end so soon, you're such a terrible host. If that's the case, I'll be the host** **for this whole party then..."**

The Kazuki-kun I saw before I wasn't the one I knew, but instead something else...

 **Cliffhanger, cliffhanger, burn Proxy's saga to the steak. Oh crap, um, hey guys, Proxy's saga here. This weeks chapter was a bit more centered around how Minako came back to the dorm as an entirely different person; more or less like...**

 **Anyway, Katsu came back, and he's back just so he can get mauled by the voice in Kazuki's head. (That sounds weirder than I thought it would be.) Also, now they have a deadline to find Makoto: Can they fulfill it? Who knows, gotta find out next time. So until then; see-**

 **I found him! Burn him to the steak!**

 **Oh no, they found me, I need to go! Until this blows over; see ya next week.**

 **"Kill him!"**

 **"Back away you savages, I have a butter knife!"**


	20. A dark silhouette in the night

**Okay, before we get into today's chapter, I'd just love to say... We reached to the 20th chapter for this fanfic, HOORAY! Now as stated in my new update schedule, I will be uploading a new chapter per week. But I thought I would amp that up a bit by uploading two a week instead. Now with some of that being said, thank you, everyone, who regularly tunes in for new chapters, and for the people who left reviews, thank you all especially for leaving a review on past chapters about how you feel about this fanfic so far. Hopefully, this fanfic can grow in time and more people will come to enjoy this fanfic. So please, continue to** **support the series by leaving a review and, or following the series. Now, all that is said and done; Ladies and gentlemen; Enjoy this week's second release**.

7/7 Tu, Shirakawa Boulevard, Dark Hour

 **"So it looks like I'm running the show now."**

"What the hell are you...!?"

 **"Why do you care, we're about to have a lot of fun tonight."**

Kazuki-kun is acting differently; He acting more insanely then he ever did before. And his eye color changed yellow.

"Kazuki-kun, what's going on!?" **"...I forgot about you for a minute there..."** Huh?" **"Let me fill you in: I'm not the loser you're looking for!" "...I'm something entirely different..."**

He was right, I sense something different from him; It feels more ferocious and wild.

Kazuki-kun started to charge-up for an attack against the enemy. **Time to get it on..."**

Kazuki-kun let's go off the purple haired boy's leg and hits him in the solar plexus "Ugh!" **"That hurts, doesn't it."** Kazuki-kun kicks him across the face, then he knees him in the stomach.

 **"Does it hurt?"** "Not really..." **"Really, well in that case how about I change that."** Kazuki-kun grabs him and proceeds to slam him into walls and into the floor "This isn't how Kazuki-kun fights, what's going on!?"

"I had enough of this...!" The purple haired boy summoned his persona and set everything around him on fire "How you like that bitch!" Kazuki-kun wasn't paying attention to what he was saying, but instead, he sprinted through the fire and slammed his fist into his gut upon contact... "ACK!" The enemy was coughing out blood. After that, he was dragging him to the hotel...

"Kazuki...kun?" **"How about instead of saying my name, you shut the hell up."** "*Gasp*" **"Come on Katsu, our night just begun."**

Before they entered the hotel, I saw a small spark ignite near Kazuki-kun's back...

"Die you son of a bitch!" **"Huh?"** *Boom* "KAZUKI-KUN!"

The dust was starting to settle, and all I saw were two figures; Kazuki-kun is okay!

 **"That felt good, can you do that on my neck next?"** "You want more, I'll give you more!" Katsu jumped off an apartment buildings wall and charged-up flames that were even bigger than before... "This isn't good, that could destroy the hotel with everyone in it!" **"I don't care..."** "What, but Kazuki-" **"Like I said before: shut the hell up before I maim you!"** Kazuki-kun began to walk in the direction of Katsu; He charged his sword with _SP_ turned into almighty energy.

"Kazuki-kun, don't do that!" **"Didn't I tell to be quiet!"** "But Kazuki-kun, you'll-" **"I don't know how he's able to love an annoying woman like you?"**

He looks over to me in disgust; This isn't Kazuki-kun, who is this person!? "Who are you, and what did you do to Kazuki-kun!"

When I asked that he didn't respond. He looks out at the blue fireball in the air...

"Ya think I'm weak, then take this you assholes!" Katsu kicked down his attack towards us...

 **"I'll show you a real attack, Shiro stream!"** The being possessing Kazuki-kun shot-out a wave of white energy towards the Agi attack; Splitting it into halves

*Boom* One half of that Agi attack hit the hotel. And the other half hit some other builds **"Oops, looks like it hit the sex** **hotel regardless, oh well."** "...All of our friends are in there!" **"Do you think I care!?"** "...But Kazuki-kun does!" **"Well, guess what..."** He shoots in two different directions from me with the same almighty attack he split Katsu's Agi attack with.

*Boom* He was causing destruction intentionally this time. **"I'm getting sick of you, time to die!"** He began to raise the sword to the air. I was terrified by the amount of power he displayed, and the urge to kill made his own energy much more horrifying.

"Kazuki-kun, if you can hear me, please snap-out of it, he's hurting people, he'll hurt everyone else if you don't." **"He ain't coming to save you." "** Please Kei, don't allow this person to take control of your body like this, come back to us; come back to me..."

 **"You just said your final prayers..."** "Please, come back, Kazuki," I yelled out. **"That was a waste of breath!** " He brought the blade down, trying to have it connect to my head... **"Your time is up bit-"**

I sensed something weird going on with Kazuki-kun's body. There was more than one energy source this time coming from him.

 **"You bastard!"** "I'm not gonna let you destroy anything else tonight, or hurt anyone else!" "Kazuki-kun!?"

The other entity started screaming out in pain. **"Are you an idiot, why are you holding back!? ...If you let me take the wheel we could destroy all of our opponents!"** "Sorry, but this isn't a show, nor is it a party, so get the hell out of my body!" **"ARRRRRGGGHHH!"**

The yellow in Kazuki-kun's eyes went away and his sword dropped to the floor. "Kazuki-kun, are you okay!?" "Fuuka...I..." He sounded disoriented... Kazuki-kun's legs were giving out due to the lack of energy and damage he had taken...

"Kazuki-kun!" I caught him before he crashed to the floor. "Kazuki-kun is it you!?" "Kazuki-kun, wake up, please wake up!" I summon Lucia and the two of us are sheltered inside of her. He was in a coma-like state.

"I don't know what to do, I have no idea how I can help!" I was biting my lip with anger towards my inability to heal him.

"I'm so sorry Kazuki-kun, I don't know what to do." I gripped his hand harder when I felt nothing but dread wrap around the area.

I couldn't sense anything coming from him or anyone else; I'm all alone. "Someone, anyone, please *Sobbing* answer me... Please!" I felt a wave of emotions crashing inside me. "I don't want to be alone. I-" "...And you never will be..." "HUH!?"

I felt a sensation on my cheek; a hand was spotted on it. "Ka-Ka-Kazuki-kun!?" When I saw him smiling I started to burst into tears... "*Sobbing* You-you weren't waking up, so I thought you were dead and- "It's okay, I ain't going nowhere..." Even after he said that I was still crying until..."*Sniffle* Wa-Wait I sense someone coming from the hotel." "Who is it?" "It's...Minako."

We see her walking from the entrance like nothing happened. "What happened out here?" "Lucia!" I summoned my Persona to protect Kazuki-kun... "Calm down, I won't hurt him, it looks like someone beat me to the punchline." "What about everyone else!?" "Them, riiiight..."

Minako looked over at the destroyed building... "They're still alive, but some of them are pretty banged-up right now. I think it's due to the sudden Agi attack that hit the building. But hey, you two are so tense right now, why is that?" "This some sort of game to you!?" "I never said anything of the sort. This is as serious as it can come." "What the hell is wrong with you then!" "Kei-chan, you shouldn't raise your voice, the building might collapse and with everybody in it."

She was basically telling me to shut up in a messed up way...

"Now, I took care of the second shadow that was in there." "Wait, there were two shadows in there!" "That's right, and I took care of it for you guys. I thought you would have sensed it by now; guess your abilities are weak."

We remained silent; Minako had no emotion on her face...

"The Dark Hour ends in a minute, but don't worry, I contacted Ikutsuki while I was in there." She sat at the entrance of the hotel

"You two might want to be careful from now on, I don't think the one who attacked you guys here was meant for Kei-chan only. My guess is that they were after SEES."

We were sitting here in shock of the realization of what she just said. Did we make enemies with people far more stronger than we are!?

Shirakawa Boulevard, Midnight

"Looks like The Dark Hour ended," Minako said with no care whatsoever. "Minako answer me this: what is your hidden agenda with this team!?" "Like I said: I'm gonna find him no matter what, even if it means using you people to my advantage."

Upon hearing that, I also heard a vehicle pulling-up. "Looks like our ride is here..." "Minako...!" "What?"

Kazuki-kun looks directly at her... "I won't let you use SEES for your own personal gain!" "Interesting, you'll stop me...? You should seriously think about what you say before you say it." "I mean it!

I feel Kazuki-kun's conviction to protect everyone.

"Excuse us, are you apart of SEES?" "Yes, we are." I look over to Minako-chan who's giving a cold stare. They walk over to Minako-chan. "Are any of you hurt!?" "Yes, but Mitsuru-san and the others are still in there, you have to save them," She pleaded while wincing fakely "Mitsuru-sama is still in there, let's go!"

The two men in black rush inside there to get everybody out of the building...

"Kazuki, Yamagishi...let the games begin." "I'll end it before you can blink." "Blink..."

Iwatodai dormitory, outside of Kei Kazuki's room, Midnight

Fuuka was giving me a hand to my room due to all the _SP_ I burned pushing back that other thing within me.

"We're here, but why didn't we go to a hospital instead? You still have burn marks." "You know what, my room sounds a bit weird to me." "What do you mean?" "...I mean since you don't have a room now, maybe we should..." "Are you saying you want to share a room together!?" "I'm only suggesting this because what if we got attacked by the same people again, or what if Minako goes bat-shit crazy and tries to kill you."

This gone to being awkward really fast...

"I don't m-mind though..." "Cool..." "...We would have to speak to Mitsuru-senpai about it." "You're right, let's talk to her about it while she's in the hospital. It would be more...safer that way." "...Agreed."

I open up the door to my room to find an expected person in it.

"Are the both of you okay?" "Shizuka-chan?" "Sup, M.G."


	21. A room for two

7/8 Wed, Gekkoukan high, Rooftop, Lunch

I came up to the roof to find M.G. meditating on the floor. "You seem to be at peace, which is natural for you of course." "Do you need something Kazuki?"

I began to let my mind drift for a minute... "Kazuki, why are you here?" "I need to ask you something." "...And that would be...?" "The night of the third full moon, did you see what happened!?" "Yes..." I knew it... She must've been watching the whole fight then.

"You're going to ask me why I didn't stop Katsu, is that correct?" "Originally I was, but I decided not to." "That's a surprise..." "Is it really?"

A few seconds after M.G. goes back to meditating, the door flies open. "Kazuki-kun, are you here?" "Yeah...I'm here." "Huh, where is he?" "He's behind the door." "OH!" Fuuka moves the door away from my body. I forgot to mention that upon her opening the door, Fuuka hit me with it. "Kazuki-kun, are you alright!?" "(Exaggerated) Haha, I'm fine, no problem at all." For a girl like her, she sure is strong!

"What do you have in your hands Yamagishi?" "Well..." Yamagishi unwraps the bag that was in her hands... "I see, bento boxes..." "Wait, bento?" Kazuki pushes off from the wall with excitement for the fact that she made some lunch.

"Aw, man, Fu-chan you rule!" "Thank you, Kazuki-kun." "Hmm..." "Is something the matter Rin-chan?" "Nothing, it's just..." "...I can just smell the goodness from here!"

There's something wrong with this whole thing. "M.G. you look tense..." "Oh, I was just thinking something." "Must've been something important." "Y-Yes..."

Yamagishi opens the bento boxes, showing what one would regularly pack inside a bento. But... "Oh my god, this looks really good!' "I hope you all enjoy it." "You know I will."

Why do I have a strange feeling about this entire thing; there's something strange about this bento...

"Here, Kazuki-kun...this one is...for you..." With her cheeks covered with a hue of red, she hands Kazuki a specific bento box. "Thanks..." I look at the box; it has a unique design about it, something you would give to a person dear to you.

I grabbed one of the bento boxes and opened it. ...It appears to be normal so far. Still.

"Wow, this is so cool!" I look over to Kazuki's bento. Everything in it seems normal. (as I said more than once before.) It seems to have a heart shape formed right on top of the food. She must've put a lot of time and effort into this.

"What do you think, is the heart shape a bit too much?" Kazuki leaned towards Yamagishi's forehead *Smooch* "It's great..." Yamagishi turned around and began blushing intensely. (While she was mumbling.)

"Well, time to eat!" Maybe I'm just being paranoid. I don't sense anything dangerous about Yamagishi. ...However, I'm still gonna keep my guard up.

I open my bento and I try to smell the food in question. "*Gasp*" This foul smell it's... TOXIC!

"This is gonna taste good!" I look over to Kazuki, who has the food in his mouth. "Kazuki, wait a moment!" It was already too late, he swallowed it down. "What's the matter M.G.?" "Nothing, it's nothing important." That's odd, I'm sure that I smell something foul within the food. Maybe it was my imagination?

"Kazuki-kun, are you okay?" "..." "Kazuki, do feel like your organs are shutting down?"

In a silent reply, Kazuki puts down the bento and he begins to unwrap the hoodie around his waist... "Kazuki-kun, why are you going towards the door?" "...Because I need the bathroom..."

Kazuki places his hoodie on the bench I'm sitting on, nice and neatly. "Hey, if I don't come back for my hoodie before lunch ends, can one of you take it with you back to class. Thanks."

Kazuki looked at the door for a minute before walking to it. Then, he started running while putting his hands to his mouth.

"Oh, the food wasn't poisonous, it just tasted terrible." "WHAT!?" "Did I say something out of line?"

Tatsumi hospital, Afterschool

Fuuka and I went over to the hospital after school, so we could talk to Mitsu-chan about Fu-chan's room placement. To be honest, I don't see this going well...

We arrived at Mitsu-chan's hospital room. We were standing there with nervous hearts.

"S-So, which of us sh-shou-should ask her?" "Calm down Fu-chan. I thought of our reason...it should be good, enough." "You don't sound so confident..." "...Because I'm not."

I slide open the door to find Mitsu-chan staring at us. Did she hear us? "Yamagishi, Kazuki...is something the matter?" "No, nothing's wrong..." My voice was cracking under the pressure "...It's just...we..." "Is there a problem with the dorm?" "Not at all, all though, we do have a request for you." Fuuka's voice squeaked. "...That would be?"

It got quite real quick for at least what I think would be for a minute until... "Screw it, I might as well say it." "Be careful, Kazuki-kun." Why is she telling me that n- Oh, I get it...

"Mitsuru-senpai, this gonna sound...wild, but may Fuuka Yamagishi room with me?" "WHAT!?" Mitsuru-senpai jolted up. And doing so resulted in some of her wounds opening. "ARGH!" "Mitsuru-senpai, take it easy. You're still hurt!"

Mitsu-chan lays back down on her back..."Why would you ask me if that, you both know that it contradicts the dorm rules!?" "I know, but..." "...He's trying to protect me!" Fuuka suddenly just yelled out. "Excuse me Yamagishi?" "Kazuki-kun is just trying to protect me from whoever is trying to destroy SEES." "..." "I also promise nothing inappropriate will happen if you allow us to sleep in the same room together. ...So please."

We both bowed our heads in a pleading manner... I don't know what to expect from her at this moment.

"This is quite a troublesome request you two are making..." "..." "...However, your reasoning is acceptable..." "Does that mean yes...?" "...It means I'll allow this to happen." "Re-really!?" I look at Fu-chan with a victories smirk on my face. I can't actually believe she said yes to our request! "But before you leave Kazuki, a word..." "It's okay, Fuuka, just wait for me outside of the room." "Okay..." Fuuka walks outside of the room...

"Kazuki, I heard you two were attacked last night, during the operation, is that true?" "Yeah, it is..." Mitsuru looks out the window. She looks over to where the helicopters are circling around; near Shirakawa Boulevard. "Our enemies don't care who they hurt, they'll destroy this city if they're left alone." "I know..." "...The one is responsible for all of that destruction is nothing short of a monster!" "..." I felt a pain in my chest when she said that. **"Hehehe, Monster now doesn't that word sound familiar."** " (Quietly) Shut up!" "Hmm, did you say something Kazuki?" "No."

"Kazuki, I also wanted to ask something else." "Shot." "What is your relationship with Yamagishi?" "Our relationship...well I guess you can say - we're a couple." "Is that so..." "Is that a violation of the rules as well?" "...No, no, it's not...it's just..."

Mitsuru looked over at me in a serious way, so serious, it sent shivers down my spine. "Our enemies want us dead, that much is clear now. ...Albeit they seem strong, we have cards up our own sleeves." "...And that would be..?" "You and Arisato." I hate to admit that she's right, but she's right. Minako is a lot stronger than I am. "But why me? You and Kio are pros?" "...You have a certain strength about you that most people don't have." "Really?" "Your Persona powers are nothing but a mystery to me." "Is that so." "It is indeed."

I slide open the door, I see Fuuka's head near the door for some reason.

"Oh, before you two leave, I have a couple things to say about your room placement for you and Yamagishi." "Okay, what is it?" "One: You two are not to partake in any type of inappropriate actions that go beyond a kiss." "Alright." "Two: You two are not allowed to tell anyone about this arrangement." "Of course we won't Mitsuru-senpai."

Mitsu-chan takes a deep breath and then sticks up a third finger. "Third: If I find out that the both of you disregard these conditions, an execution will be the proper punishment for the both of you, is that understood...?" "(Unionism) Yes!" I felt a sudden skip in my heartbeat; she nearly killed me by just saying "Execution"

"Finally, condition four: Protect our support no matter what...is that clear?" "It is, Kirijo-senpai!" I give her a thumbs-up and she nods at us. I closed the door behind us

I pull out a folder from my pillow... "(To herself) Kazuki kei, Arisato Minako, and Yuki Makoto. I need to gain more information on all of them, especially Kazuki. ...And I also need to figure out who the traitor is...maybe then we can finally make sense of who our enemies are. I also need to have a search party look for Yuki.

Iwatodai dormitory, Kazuki/Fuuka's room, Evening

I opened the door to mine/Fuuka's new room. I left the room before so I could go change into something more comfortable. Although the room is only meant for one person to sleep in, which in itself would've been a problem if I hadn't bought a futon already. And as for clothes, were sharing one closet. (Obviously.) But other then that, I think I'm gonna have to go to Tartarus to grind up some money.

"Sup, Fu-chan." "N-Nothing!" "Why are you so jumpy?" "I guess it has to do with the fact that we're sharing the same room." "I guess…"

I look over at Fu-chan's hands… She seems to be holding a manga in them. "Well, what are you reading?" "…It's a manga about mecha, the air turning into waves, and it's also a love story." "Oh, I know what you're talking about."

I sat next to her, looking at the page she's on. "I only saw one volume of this, in your collection…" "Let me guess: you want me to buy more volumes." "…If you can." "I'll try."

I get up from the bed, and I turn on the TV...

 _"In recent news, a hotel located in Shirakawa Boulevard was destroyed due to unknown reasons…" "..." Although an investigation is underway, people speculate that the hotel and other buildings among that were attacked by terrorist. So until proven otherwise, this will be considered an unknown occurrence."_

"….." I look at the TV in silence... "It's my fault, I'm the one who destroyed those buildings. I'm the one who hurt those people…" "That's not true…you didn't want to, but that other being did." "…With my body! With my-" "What is Kazuki-kun?" I was in deep for the words that popped into my head: "With my own attack."

"Fuuka, can you see something for me?" "What is it?" I thought about what I was about to say... No, this is too risky for her. Besides, I don't know if it's possible for her to even do it...

"You know what, forget it, it doesn't matter." "Was it related to the thing that took over your body?" "No..." "It was, wasn't it." "...It wasn't!" "Kazuki-kun, you don't need to lie to me. Just tell." "I said it wasn't, Damn it!"

I look over to Fuuka, after realizing that I raised my voice on accident. "Oh...well then...I'm sorry then Kazuki-kun." Fuuka walks over to the door without glancing at me. "Fuuka, wait!" Before I could say another word, Fuuka shut the door behind herself.

"Damn!" I slam my fist on my desk... "I'm such a god damn asshole."

Iwatodai dormitory, Kazuki/Fuuka's room, Dark Hour

Kazuki was sleeping on the futon again; he wants to stay away from me, so I don't get hurt. (At least that's what I think.) I get out of the bed and I knell down in front of him.

"Kazuki-kun, I'm sorry I ran away... I didn't mean to do that. I don't want to do that ever again to you." I get inside of the futon... "I know you don't want me to do this, but..." I put my hands on his head. I began to concentrate on linking my consciousness, with his soul. "...I'll find out what that thing was."

But before I do that..." I lean in forward and I kiss Kazuki-kun on the lips. "...That was me returning the favor for today."

I established the link towards Kazuki's soul. All I need to do now is focus, and I'm in. "When this is over I'll apologize to you." Everything in the room began to turn white.

Kazuki's soul; what will it look like...

The sea of Kazuki's soul,?

I open my eyes, to find myself inside of a sea… One would think that this would be real water, but I sense that it isn't. There seem to be some pretty tall buildings. I also see a bit of teal in this sea; is the color like this because of me…?

"This is Kazuki-Kun's soul…" **"Incorrect."** "Huh!?" **"It's our soul."** "You…!" **"Me…"**

"Why did you do all those things with Kazuki-kun's body!?" **"Because it was fun."** "It's not supposed to be fun to hurt people!" **"Shut up, you peace loving, bitch!"** "...I have a question for you...?" **"I don't feel like answering any questions, ya free-loader."** He began to pick his ear.

Knowing that this conversation is going nowhere, I summon Lucia... **"Cute, you think that piece of shit Persona will protect you."** The entity starts to laugh (at me) like this is some sort of joke.

 **"You know what, you're funny, make another joke. Oh, maybe something like, "Kazuki-kun will save me..."** "Not this time, this time, I'll do this by myself. I'll help Kazuki!" **"Hehehehe... AHAHAHAHAHA! GOD, NOW I SEE WHY I HATE YOU SO MUCH!"**

He summons a white-clad sword to his right-hand... **"I hate you, oh, I hate you so much with every fiber of my being!"** "Why?" **"Why...she asked why. Because you're so pathetic! Acting as if you can actually do anything, other then yell "Kazuki-kun", and act like such a coward!"** "I'm not going to let you destroy me like that, I'm going to stay strong because that's what Kazuki taught me!" **"...You know what, you're starting to piss me off, bitch!"**

He begins to swing the sword, by its chain at a really rapid rate. **"Time to die! I'll make sure to tell Kazuki what happened here when I talk to him."**

He throws the sword at me... *Persona shattering* "*Grunting*" **"Looks like it only took one shot, too bad."** "I won't give up..." **...Who cares, you're dead already!"**

He kicked me down to the floor... "Ugh!" *Thud* **"What should I break first, your hands, your legs, or maybe a bit of everything?"** "..." **"Tryin' to act brave?** **...Whatever, I'll just kill you here and now."** He raised the white clad-sword above his head to only then bring it down to my head. **"DIE BITCH!"** "..." _"She isn't destined to die today."_ "Huh?" **"Damn it!"**

A black figure goes flying towards the Kazuki-look-a-like... *Clang* He clashed swords with the enemy. _"Miss, are you alright?"_ "Ye-Yes." _"...Then stand back, far from this fight."_ "I can't, I need answers!"

The mystery person looks over at me in concern, why for though? _"Then, in that case, stand back and help me in this fight."_ "Okay." **"You think you pair of cunts can stop me, ha, don't make me laugh."** The entity pushes away from the new arrival...

The evil entity begins to charge his _SP_... **"I'll kill you all...!"** _"Let us go Yamagishi!"_ "Right...!"


	22. The shadow within

The sea of Kei Kazuki's soul,?

 **"Oi, so you think the both of you can take me on!"** " _Miss Yamagishi, stay back and provide support!"_ "Okay...!" I move back away from the both of those two of them.

 **"How about this: You let me kill that girl and I let you live, doesn't sound bad, right?"** _"I decline!"_ **"The hell, don't think you can just come up in here and act like you're better than me!"** _"I rightfully belong here."_ **"...Oh really..."**

The evil entity moved too fast for me to see with my own eyes. *Clang* **"Then, in that case, this is where you die."**

The Kazuki-look alike grabbed the man cloaked in black and threw him through some of the buildings. "Are you okay!?" _"No worries, he didn't do any substantial damage_ **"That'll change soon..."** The fake Kazuki went over to the hooded man and smashes his foot into the hooded man's stomach, and then raised his sword in the air. **"Shiro stream!"** He's using the move he used the night of the Full moon. _"Tch!"_ **"What's the matter, you feeling the pressure now! Say something, will ya!"**

I need to start helping! _"Attack him with now, he's wide open due or an attack, so strike!"_ _"Okay."_ The hooded man's blade was starting to emit a sort of energy. **"Sup, bit-"** _"Kuro stream."_ **"The hell!"** As the name implied, a black stream of almighty energy was sent flying past fake's cheek. "How did you do that?" _"I just used my SP, nothing to it."_ "But your blade... It's broken." _"...I know."_ He might've made the _SP turn into almighty energy, and then_ into a blade-like form. Then he launched that part at him.

 **"you aren't gonna get away with that, you little sluts!"** He jumps towards me... **"I'm gonna kill you here and now!** " "Why do you hate me so much?" **"...Cuz, people like you hold him back! If he were to let me take the wheel, we could crush anyone in our way!"** "Just what are you?" **"I am what Kazuki was called: a monster! ...But more importantly, I am the god damn shadow inside his soul!"** "WHAT!"

Did I hear that right, a shadow!? "Wait, what do you mean by a monster?" **"I tried so hard to make him give in... That damn Naoya person always got in the way. It's cool, I have a better idea: I'll kill everyone he cares about, that way I'll paint him a familiar picture of being lonely. It will be like Mikage-cho, but funnier"**

It was him. He was the reason why Kazuki-kun was treated unfairly; he ruined his life there.

"How could you!" **"Huh?"** "You hurt an innocent person for all his life, and here you are sitting around, bragging about it! Kazuki said that I have a forgiving personality, but... I'll never forgive you!" **"You look like you're gonna cry."** He's right, I was crying a bit, but I have to hold it in for right now; I need to concentrate on this fight!

 _"I heard quite enough, you will not bring harm to anyone, anymore."_ **"Try me, bitches!"** The shadow starts to swing his sword at the hooded man. He was missing most of his attacks because the hooded man was dodge out of the way of most of the attacks. **"Sukukaja!"** A green light surrounds the shadow, and with enough speed to finally reach his target he jabs the hooded man in the gut, and something began to emit from the palm of his hand. An Agi spell was fired from his hand, this sent the hooded man through the wall of a building. **"Is that all you got"** The shadow went over to him and stabbed the hooded man... "No!" _"...It's alright"_ **"The hell!"** *Stab* I see a long-black blade pierce through the shadow. **"How are you...!?"** _"You seem surprised. I'm sorry, but something in my mind prevents me from telling you anything."_ **"Ack, shit!"** The shadow breaks the sharp energy with his bare hands. _"He out-did my own energy, interesting..."_ **"Kazuki will suffer, then eventually, he will be mine to control."** " I'll never let that happen, I'll protect Kazuki from you no matter what!" **"Shut up, you damn whore! I'll make sure you're the first person I kill!"** _"I won't allow it!"_ **"...Shut your white knight-ass up!"**

 _"Kuro stream..."_ **"Shit, Shiro stream!"** A clash of black and white was before me. It was too much, maybe even for Kazuki's soul "This is too much! You both need to stop this, you'll destroy everything!" **"What you gonna do now, you'll kill poor Kazuki-chan if we continue?"** _"I know, that's why..."_ The hooded man disappeared into thin air. "Where did he go?" **"The shit...!"** _"Gigantic fist."_ A purple-clad fist appeared behind the shadow and made contact with his body, sending him flying **"ARGGGHHH!"**

The shadow was sent flying through a building. And landed on the side of a building. **"Screw this, THUNDER REIGN!"** _"Thunder reign!"_ Thunder clouds formed around us. Two thunderbolts hit each.

"What is this, it feels like one of there powers are rising, is that even possible at this moment?" The electricity got too intense. *BOOM* The electrical blast of energy destroyed Lucia in one go. "AHHHH!" I was flying backward in mid-air *Thud* "Huh?" I turn around to see what stopped me in my tracks... Nobody was behind me, but it felt like someone was though... After that attack. I didn't sense the shadow

"Did you win?" _"It seems so... But the last second, the shadow used a skill called, Ice age. Then he used another move called, inferno"_ "...He turned the ice into steam!" _"Yes, that seems to be the case..."_

I don't know who this man is, I should ask him for his name. "Um, who are you, what's your name?" _"...Phi"_ "Phi..." "What are you doing here anyway?" "Like I said before, I'm looking for answers." _"...To what?"_ "...For what that thing was." _"Did you find your answer then...?"_ "Yes..." _"I see."_

*Waves crashing* _"*Gasp*"_ "What is it?" _"The waves are acting aggressively!"_ "That means..." "...It means Kazuki-sama is in pain!" "Someone is hurting him right now!" "Not physically, but morally."

After Phi said that, I heard a voice echo around me

"(Echoed) Don't leave...!" "Huh?" "(Echoed) Please, don't leave me here alone... Fuuka..."

"Is he having a nightmare?" _"Yes, he feels scared right now."_ "Why!?" _"...Because he scared to lose everything that he has right now; he's scared that the shadow will take control and hurt all of those he holds dear. He's scared you will no longer be there for him."_

Words failed me on how I felt about all of this. I have to get out of here, I have to tell Kazuki everything is okay! "I need to help him!" _"That would be the best course of action."_ I sat down on the floor, trying to concentrate on leaving.

 _"Goodbye, Yamagishi-sama."_ "Goodbye to you too, Phi-san." I feel all the water around me disappear. I'm coming, Kazuki-kun!

7/9 Thu, Iwatodai dormitory, Kazuki/Fuuka's room, Midnight

I woke up to find Kazuki-kun still sleeping. He looks like he's in pain. ...I need to wake him up.

"Kazuki-kun, wake up, please wake up." "Mmm, Fu-chan, why are you in the futon with me?" "Kazuki-kun..." "...You be a lot more comfortable on the bed, so-" "I'm sorry!" "Huh?"

"...I'm sorry I ran out of the room earlier, I didn't know what to do." "..." "I should've just left it alone and from now on, if you tell me to not think much about it, then I won't." "It's okay, you are entitled to your own opinions." I begin to remember what the shadow said about intentionally ruining, Kazuki's life. I couldn't let it go... Tears started rolling down my eyes.

"Why are you crying, did you have a bad dream?" "*Sobbing* It was...horrible." "There, there... I'm right here, Fu-chan..." He put my head on his chest. "By the way, I'm sorry I raised my voice at you earlier. But Don't feel sad, I love seeing you smile like you always do." "*Sniffle*" "...Can you tell me what the nightmare was about?" "I rather not." "That's okay, you can keep it to yourself... And like you said to me, 'You can tell me when you're ready'." "*Sniffle* Okay..." "Can I tell you what my dream that I had?" "What was it?"

"Well, I felt like I was in the dark by myself. But I was chasing someone, someone dear to me..." "..." "I couldn't catch up no matter how fast I ran; It made me even sadder." "..." "But the dream really started when I just woke up."

I wrap my arms around Kazuki's neck... "Fuuka, you...all right" "I'm...fine" "Then how about we stop crying, your eyes will get sore if you rub them too much" "*Sobbing* You're right."

Kazuki moves his head towards mine... "You know it's quite late Kazuki-kun." I look over at the alarm clock on our desk... "3:34 A.M. Only three-to-four hours until school starts. What do you want to do?" "What does the lady want to do?" "Talk..." "Then let's talk about that manga you want me to buy for you." "It's pretty good and I would love to keep on reading it." "Well, in that case, I'm gonna need to go to, Tartarus then." "I don't think we'll be able to, Mitsuru-senpai and Akihiko-senpai aren't here..." "There's always M.G." "You're right, Rin-chan could help us, but still..." "You don't get something if you don't break the rules. Except the ones for us rooming together."

I got out of the futon... "Do you wanna sleep on the bed with me Kazuki?" Kazuki-kun gets out of the futon also. "As long as you're cool with it?" "I am." I sat on the end of the bed. "Fu-chan..." "Yeah." "I feel bad for Minako..." "Why for?" "...I know she almost killed, me and you." "I feel the same way." "Really?" "Yes... She just wants to find Makoto-kun. But the way she's going on about it isn't right." "...I feel like this is my responsibility, so I need to do something about this, but what?" "We'll figure it out..."

I put my head on the pillow. "You know what Kazuki-kun..." "What?" "We should go visit the shrine tomorrow." "Why for?" "...For everyone's good health." "I can have M.G. heal all of them." "Would Rin-chan do that?" "...Maybe, but wouldn't hurt to try."

I put my head on top of Kazuki-kun's chest; where his heart is. I hear the rhythm, It feels...nice.

"Goodnight, Fu-chan." "You too, Kazuki."

Kazuki-kun kisses me on the forehead. After that, I closed my eyes and went to sleep.

Iwatodai dormitory, Minako Arisato's room, Middle of the night

I was still wide awake, looking at the picture of, Makoto and me in junior high. "I remember when he wore glasses, *chuckle* he looked so funny..."

I lay back on my bed, touching my bandages. I lost my eye in a fight against, Kazuki.

"Maybe I should hang out with, Rio tomorrow? Huh, why do I feel so...empty...?" Maybe if I find him, maybe he can tell me. Maybe then I can find out why. "I will find you Makoto. Just wait for me!"


	23. A grand dinner

7/11 Sat, Gekkoukan high, Class: 2-E, Morning

When I entered the class I saw Rin-chan in her seat. I rushed over to her... "Rin-chan, are you busy?" "No, why?" "I know what made Kazuki-kun go berserk." "Really, tell me." "...It was a shadow…" "A shadow!?" Rin-chan looked like she was not too surprised by this more than she sounded. Does she know something?

"I need to look into this myself…" "What can I do to help?" "You continue to fight the shadows." "But I want to help Kazuki-kun, too. let me help you!" "...It would be wiser for you to just remain near Kazuki. Besides, I would need to tell you about classified information, and I can't do that." "Oh...sorry, Rin-chan…" "It's alright, Yamagishi." "You're right though." "Yes, I'll have a better chance of finding out what and how that shadow works." "...Okay."

I had something else to ask Shizuka-chan. "Shizuka-chan." "Yes?" "Why are you helping us?" "Well, I have my reasons for doing so." "An agenda, isn't it?" "...Yes." "What is her agenda?

I heard the late bell ring and I still don't see Kazuki-kun yet. "Kei Kazuki, Kei Kazuki?" "Here…" "Huh?" I look at Kazuki-kun, he's covered in bruises on his face and hands…

"(Whispering) Did Kazuki get into a fight with someone?" "(Whispering) No idea, but he is a bit scary sometimes when he's angry. Like in April, when he was yelling at Natsuki, I felt something weird about him…"

I heard a few people talking about how Kazuki-kun got into a fight. None of that is true, I know it isn't…

Mr. Ekoda looked ready to tear Kazuki-kun's head off. "Why are you covered in bruises? Were you fighting?" "No sir, actually, I got a bad fortune when I went to the shrine today…" "Is that so…" "Yeah, I slipped down the staircase of the shrine when I was leaving. See, I even have the fortune."

"(Whispering) Nah, Kazuki doesn't seem like the type to pick fights." "(Whispering) Yeah, he seems like a chill guy." Whew, thank God he didn't get into a fight.

"Well then, go to the nurse's office and after that, come back here." "Got it, sir." Kazuki-kun left the room after being told to. At least he's okay. (Somewhat)

Gekkoukan high, Class: 2-E, lunch

I was walking through the hallways before I saw M.G. walk to me…

"Sup." "Don't talk with your mouth full." "Sorry…" I swallowed all the food in my mouth… "Man, that was good!" "What were you eating?" "...Bread with some butter on the inside for a sweet deal. If you want some l could give you some money for it." "I'm good." "Okay, but you look like you need to tell me something." "Come with me." "M.G., wait I want to see Fu-chan!" "You will."

Gekkoukan high, roof, lunch

I walked up to the roof after M.G. made me. I saw Fuuka on the roof. I see her holding a book in her hands and writing something into a notebook.

"Fu-chan." "Huh, Kazuki-kun, there you are, I need to speak to you about something." "Okay…"

Fuuka looks over into the distance… "Kazuki-kun, I…"

Gekkoukan high, Class: 2-E, Afterschool

I found Kazuki on his desk, but something seemed off. Kazuki, are you alright?" "This is really bad." "What is…?" Did Yamagishi tell him about the shadow? "M.G., did you heal all my teammates?" "...Was that a bad choice?" "No, but…"

Kazuki raised his head in quick and serious manner. What happened on that roof…?

"Listen, because this is serious… You must've told Fuuka that you healed our teammates, right?" "Yes," I said with question marks appearing in my head. "Kazuki, what is going on?" "...Were gonna die!" "What do you mean 'we'?" "...My Fu-Chan's cooking!" Huh? "What are you talking about, I don't see the prob-" Wait, she's cooking!

"W-Why is this my problem?" "Because she wanted you to join in as well." "Join in on what?" "...The party for everyone on SEES's recovery. And I said you would love to join in." "Why would you say that!?" "She was so excited and she asked me if you like to join…" "...I don't." "Why not?" "I want to keep my organs healthy." "Please, come on through!" "Why should I?" "...I recall you saying It's rude to turn down gifts from others." "...!" He used my own advice against me; damn!

"Fine." "You mean it?" "Yes, damn it." "Woo, cool!" "But, if I do this, you have two options to choose for me to go…" "Okay…" "One: I have you run away from the Reaper with your hands and legs tied…" "The hell, that seems like a bit too much!" "...Two: We replace all of the food " "What?" "...If we replace the food, you and all your other teammates will be able to avoid death." He was thinking about this seriously. "Do you really think we could pull it off?" "Absolutely…"

It looks like Kazuki is in agreement with me. We need to save ourselves from this a cursive fate if we want to live.

Tatsumi hospital, Mitsuru Kirijo's room, after school

I waiting in anticipation for the report on Kazuki. "Mitsuru-sama, here's the report on Kazuki Kei." "Thank you…"

I open the file on Kazuki… It listed that he went to St. Merlin high, located in Mikage-cho. "Huh, his face…" It was covered in band-aids and many more patches. "(To herself) What was his life before this?" I looked over at the man who handed me the report…

"Excuse me, but I need you to pass along a message." "...Yes, Mitsuru-sama…" "I need you to tell Ikutsuki to do a more in-depth background check on Kazuki. I want to know what his life up until now was like." "Yes, ma'am!" "...After that, I need reports on Arisato and Yuki…" "I'll get right on that." The man in black leaves the room in an orderly fashion.

"This is an invasion of privacy, but I need to know why Kazuki, Yuki, and Arisato are so powerful."

Iwatodai dormitory, Lounge, Evening

I came back to the dorm alone because Fu-chan told me she wanted to get back to the dorm as quickly as possible. I opened the door to the dorm, and the first thing I see is Fu-chan watching TV.

"Yo, Fu-chan..." "Oh, welcome back." "What'cha watchin'?" "There's was an interesting news report on something and-" "What's with the notebook...?" "Nothing!" "...Is it for what you're making for tonight?" Please say yes. "No!" "Alright, then why did you change the channel, then? "You surprised me." "...Sorry." "It's alright."

I put my bag on the couch, and I sit next to her... "Man, I'm beat..." "Did something happen?" "Not really, it's just I had a hard time convincing M.G. to come over and eat with us." "...Do you think Mitsuru-senpai will be okay with her coming over?" "Push comes to shove, we can always tell her that Rin is a Persona-user," I said jokingly... "I don't think Shizuka-chan would like that." "I was only joking."

I looked over at her with a worried look on my face... "Hey, you're aren't worried that your food will come out bad, do you? "No, why?" "No reason, it just... I'm just hyped for it." I hate myself right now... "Really, maybe I should make it now!" "Don't!" "Huh?" "...I mean, you should try to cook it tomorrow; you know, so it doesn't get cold over time... Ya know what I'm saying?" "That sounds..." Oh crap! "...Like an excellent idea!" Whew, crisis avoided...

"Well, in that case, do you wanna eat this..." Fu-chan pushes a bento box to my chest. Crap, I'm in real deep trouble right now!

I take a whiff of it; it doesn't leave much to the imagination. " Does it look good...?" "Looks great." I put on the best smile I can put on. I hesitantly picked up the chopsticks and I put the food in my mouth... "So, is it good!," Fuuka said with a shine in her eye. "It's amazing." I felt scared for my health...

"Hm?" It still tastes weird, but it didn't taste as weird than before. (I wonder why?)

"I have more if you want some more." "That's...okay..." I put the food on the table and I take Fu-chan's hand. "What do you wanna do now," I asked. "Can we watch a movie...?" "Sure, it's Sunday tomorrow anyway, so we're good." "Okay, let me go get my computer, and I'm gonna change into something more comfortable." "Yeah...I think I should do the same."

We got up from the couch and made our way to our room... She changed in my room and I changed in the bathroom.

A couple of minutes later, we were downstairs watching a movie. We were watching one of those futuristic movies with advanced technology and stuff. And needless to say, Fu-chan was having a really good time; she was nerding-out. (Which she did in a cute way...) Now was the perfect time to do a little switcharoo

"Hey, Fu-chan, I'm gonna use the bathroom." "Uhu." "Fill me in on what I missed." "Uhu..." She wasn't listening to me at all.

Iwatodai dormitory, Kei Kazuki/Fuuka Yamagishi's room

I opened the door to our room, and when I spotted Fu-chan's bag. I opened it right away. "Let's see, where are those recipe notes..." As I kept on flipping through her notebook, I said to myself, "what the hell am I doing"? I stopped flipping through the notebook, and I put it back in her bag... "...You know what, forget trying to replace the food! I'm just gonna help her."

I saw the notebook she had earlier this afternoon. "I am one nosy son of a bitch... But I am curious to know why she didn't want me to know what she was writing... I flip open the notebook to the first page. "Huh, what's this?" I saw a couple of letters on the paper written inside of a heart: Mrs. Kazuki...

"Mrs. Kazuki..." So she wasn't taking notes from that cooking show but was writing about something else; about us. "..." I put the book back inside her bag and I make my leave from the room.

"Mrs. Kazuki... That sounds nice."

Iwatodai dormitory, Lounge, Evening

I climbed back downstairs, acting like I just came back from the bathroom.

"Yo, Fu-chan, I'm back. Huh?" When I looked over to Fu-chan she was asleep. "*Sigh*" I sat right next to her...

"So, on Monday they all come back, huh... Well, it looks like our time alone (along with Minako) is over."

I bring her closer to me. "I can't tell you about the other stuff I know besides who M.G. is... Other then that, I can't tell you anything else. But, I can tell you this: they'll never win; I'll come out on top. ...I promise

I put a paper in her hand, and I went up to our room to put some different clothes on. I'm gonna go train with M.G. in Tartarus for a bit.

Tartarus, lobby, Dark Hour

"ARGH," *Thud* "Again..." "Ow, you slammed me on my butt..." I got up from the floor after getting thrown to the ground. "All right, let's do this."

We went another round and as expected, M.G. won again... "*Sigh* Great..." "You lasted longer this time, and it wasn't just a waste time at all." "What do you mean?" "...Your _SP_ has increased greatly." "Umm, can you explain _SP_ again." "Alright, I'll keep this simple..."

...

"The SP you have right now isn't all of the energy you have... In fact, you can say that your soul is holding back all the energy in your body due to a limit." "Can break it?" "I don't know, but I don't think so." "Oh, then how much _SP_ do I have in total?" "That I do not know, but I can find out if you answer these questions." "Ask away..."

"When you were fighting Minako, were you able to block her spear's attack?" "Yes." "...How did you survive it?" "I bounced it back with my own attack... I think." Amazing, he was able to do that, in the state he was in at the time. If that's the case, then he has a great amount of _SP_ in his soul. No, maybe one could say a vast amount of energy that is yet to be tapped into. But yet it was, maybe due to the shadow; that skill he uses must have to do with the amount of

"I would say you have an untapped amount of energy in you." "...How much exactly?" "I don't know the exact amount _SP._ However, if I had to guess the amount, I would say enough to spare after using that almighty attack of yours..." "REALLY!"

Kazuki started getting excited for some reason; this boy really is strange.

"Let's go another round!" "Are you sure?" "Absolutely..." We both stood on different sides from each... "Are you ready...?" "...Whenever you are!" In mere seconds we dashed right-over to each other...

7/12 Sun, Iwatodai dormitory, Kazuki/Fuuka's room, Afternoon

"Kazuki-kun, you look a bit tired... Did all that training tire you out?" "Nah, Fu-chan, *yawn* I'm fine." "Are you sure...?"

Fu-chan puts the manga she was reading on the bed. Then she proceeds to clear her lap. "Do you need a bit of rest?" "...On second thought...I'll take you up on that." I put my head on her lap; it felt comfortable...

"Are you sure you aren't pushing yourself too hard...?" "It's fine, really, I'm just a bit tired after ready an entire cookbook..." "Wait, why were you reading a cookbook...?" "I don't know, I was bored..." "...You aren't good at lying." heh heh, that's not true...

"Okay, fine, I'll tell you. I want to help you cook all the food tomorrow." "Why?" "Cuz, it seems fun!" ...I'm helping you so I can save everyone from dying, and so M.G. won't hog-tie me while I'm in Tartarus.

"Well then, you're gonna need a lot of rest; please go to sleep for a bit..." "...Only because you said please." I decided to get comfortable for today because tomorrow was gonna be quite a busy for the both of us.

"Also, Kazuki-kun..." "Yeah." "Thank you for buying more volumes for me." "...I do anything for you." "You shouldn't say that." "It's okay, I'm not gonna destroy the whole city or anything." "I know you wouldn't..." "(To himself) I hope I don't." "Hmm?" "Nothing."

Tatsumi hospital, Mitsuru Kirijo's room, evening

I open the medical records I have on Kazuki. When I did, I was in awe of what I saw... "Several broken bones, a couple in the left arm, several in his rib-cage, and a cut above his head... My goodness!" "Yes, it's quite a lengthy document." "But why did all this happen?" "It is best to ask him yourself." "You're right, and also, do have the files on Yuki and Arisato...?" "No, not yet." "...I see... Well, in any case, thank you, Mr. Chairman." "You're welcome, Mitsuru."

I look out the window towards the areas of the city that was attacked by our enemies. "We need to find Yuki; him, Arisato, and Kazuki are our trump cards in this fight!"

"You're having the authorities comb the island for him as we speak, yes?" I asked seeking an answer. "Of course." "Good..."

7/13 Mon, Iwatodai dormitory, Kitchen, Afterschool

Immediately after we returned to the dorm, Fu-chan rushed me to the kitchen. "Okay, Kazuki-kun... Are you ready!?" "Looks like one of us is excited about this, ain't we?" "...We're cooking for our friends, we need to be positive, right!" "...You're sorta scaring me." "You have to say right, too."

With Fu-chan's excitement, we began cooking in the kitchen. I made sure to stick by the book, and Fu-chan just gathered the materials I needed in order to make the food for tonight... Needless to say, there was some horse-play involved; and a bit of the kissing on the forehead, but we won't talk about that right now.

"Ow!" "Huh...?" I look over to Fuuka's fingers in a concerned look on my face... "Are you okay?" "Y-Yeah, I'm fine." I see Fuuka bleeding from her fingers; small cuts, nothing major, but they should get treated.

"Let me see your hands..." I take her hand and I begin to wrap band-aids on them... "I don't belong in the kitchen, don't I?" "That's not true, you have every right to be in here." "..." "...Besides, I want a wife that cook good meals..." "Huh?" "Nothing, it was nothing!"

After wrapping the band-aids around her fingers, we resumed cooking the meals until we finally finished cooking.

"All right, we're done here..." "Now, we need to prepare the food Kazuki-kun. ...We don't have much time left before everybody gets here... Let's set up the food." "On it chief."

Iwatodai dormitory, Lounge, Evening

By the time Fuuka and I finished setting up the food, we heard the door opening and the hinges creak.

"Sup, guys, we're back!" "Don't be so damn loud, Stupei! I still have tenuous!" "(To himself) Yeah, you still got that bitchy attitude." "What!?" "Nothing!"

"Can you two be quiet! And plus, don't you guys smell something?" Looks like Kio noticed it first. "Yes, this smell...it's quite desirable." "...It smells too good to ignore! I gotta have me something to eat!"

I was waiting for the "whoa" sound...

"Whoa...this looks good!" "I was waiting for someone to say that..." "Huh, Kei, you made this?" "Not by myself..." Fuuka came out of the kitchen as well. "...She helped, too. So you should thank her too. " "I-I hope everyone enjoys the food." Fu-chan seems to be nervous. I don't put it past her.

"Is this for us?" "Two things... One: duh, and two: almost everybody." "Almost everybody? Oh, you mean Arisato, why isn't she down here...?" "I'll go get her senpai." Yukari went upstairs to go get Minako.

*Vibrate* *Vibrate* "Hm?" I open my phone to find a message from M.G.

 _"I arrived at the dorm... Now what?" "Um, come in." "The food won't kill me, right?" "...Just come into the building already! Besides, I cooked it myself!" "...Should that be a good thing?" "STOP BEING A SCAREDY-CAT AND GET IN HERE!_

I heard the door open after my last message was sent. M.G. was the one who entered the dorm...

"Perfect timing..." "Kazuki, who is this?" "Right, she's another person that helped us as well." I was lying. "She was in this dorm as well?" "No, no, Mitsu-chan. ...This is her first time being inside the dorm..." "I see, but I need to know who she is."

M.G. walks over to Mitsu-chan. "I'm Rin Shizuka, Age: 16; I'm a second year in Gekkoukan high, and I'm in class: 2-E. A pleasure to meet you." "Nice to meet you, Shizuka, I'm Mitsuru Kirijo..." "I know, you are the heiress to the Kirijo group, and not to mention, you are student body president..." "Yes, that is correct, you're well informed." "*Chuckle* Think nothing of it, it's only common knowledge to know who you are."

I started to smile by the small talk that was going on in the lounge. It made all this work all the more worth it...

"Guys, can we eat now!?" Jun was practically drooling at this point. (He better not literally drool on the food!) "...Hold-off until Takeba comes back with Arisato." "Where is she then?"

Yuka-chan came back downstairs without Minako. "Where's Mino-tan...?" "She said she wasn't hungry." "Really, I thought she would be down here. Oh well, now can we eat?" "Yes, Jun...now you can eat." "Woo, finally!"

Everyone sat down at the table and began to chow-down at the food. Expect for M.G. "Rin, why are you just standing there? Come on, pull up a seat." "Oh, right..." "Shizuka-chan, you're a guest here. You should eat, too." "...Um, okay..." M.G. takes a seat between Kio and Mitsu-chan...

I take a plate and I put some food on it. "Kazuki-kun, where are you going?" "I'm gonna leave Minako some food." "Oh, okay..." Fuuka looks at me with an understanding look on her face.

Iwatodai dormitory, third floor, evening

I was looking at Minako's door with nothing but conflicted thoughts in my head.

"Hey, Mino-chan, I have some food for you. I'm gonna place it right next to your door, so if you're hungry here you go." I place the food on the ground, next to Minako's door.

"I'm gonna find him, and I know you'll try to too... But don't put innocent people in harm's way while doing so. And if you have a beef with me for slashing your eye, that's between me and you. Also, I-" "Just screw off!" "..."

The silence was the only thing in my mind and in the hallway... I went over to the stairs while looking at Minako's door; I felt a sort of pain in my chest give rise when I looked at her door.

Iwatodai dormitory, Kazuki/Fuuka, Late-at-night

It was a late night, and I was sleeping on my futon until...

"Kazuki-kun." "Yeah." "You know you can sleep up here with me, right.?" "I know..." "Then why don't you?" "I was waiting for you to ask."

I got out of the futon and went to sleep with Fu-chan.

"So, that was fun." "Mhh, it really was..." "I'm glad M.G. came around; she looked like she had fun." "...I hope she did."

I wrapped my arms around Fu-chan's stomach... "Kazuki-kun... Can I ask you something?" "Sure..." Would you like to see me in a bathing suit?" "You in one! Why...?" "Well, while you were upstairs giving Minako-chan her food, we were all talking about going somewhere for the break ahead." "Like a beach?" "Yeah, an island named Yakushima." "Sounds cool." "It really does..."

I began to feel tired. All that cooking must've taken a toll on my mind. "You look tired." "*Yawn* I am." "...Well then, I guess we should go to sleep then." I bring Fuuka's back closer to my chest. "We should..."

Fu-chan turned around and then nestled her head against my chest.

I felt like there were weights on my eyes. I slowly closed my eyes and I allowed everything to disappear.

?,?

I woke up from my sleep. I was expecting to see Fu-chan's face, but I found something else instead

*Thump* "ARGH, who the hell-" "It's Kazuki, he's awake." "Huh? Wait, those uniforms... "No..." I look at my clothes; they're St. Merlin high uniforms!

"NO!"

 **I really don't have anything to say other then follow the series if you want to see more, or just look out for Weekly updates. So until the next chapter drops; see ya.**


	24. The world's inconsistencies

?/?, St. Hermelin, after school

I look around to find that I'm in a different classroom; this wasn't 2-E.

"Hey, demon...!" "Huh?" "You look a bit confused, did your brain get destroyed or something'?"

I was still confused to notice the insults being thrown... "Hey, you listening, damn it!?" Wait, if I'm here, what does that mean for Gekkoukan high. That couldn't have been a dream! No. I can't accept that!

I look under my shirt to find the scar on my chest; it's still there! "Oh, thank god." "Hey, I'm talking to you!" "Oh, really?" "Yeah, you freak!"

Wait, what am I doing? I need to call Fuuka! I pull out my phone so I can do just that. I look at the date on my phone...

"June, 14? Is it Monday? No, this isn't right, I should be next to Fuuka then." "What are you talking about?" "I think he's talking about someone?" "...Maybe a poor soul that got killed by this bastard!"

I forgot how hurtful these people could be... But they don't matter. I called Fuuka's number... I held my breath for a minute. It finally got through. "Hello, Fu-" " _The holder of this line is... Deceased..."_ The words that were said, they echoed to my brain... "What...?"

I hang-up in disbelief. "This can't be happening..." "Why is he talking to himself...?

I push everyone out of my way and I start moving towards the exit. "This is just a dream, that's all, it's nothing to make a big deal about. Right!?"

I was halfway out of the class, until... "Oi, Kazuki." "What do you want!" "We want to talk to you." "I don't have time for this!" "What does a demon do in his spare time?" "Get out of my way." "...Or what?"

I pushed them out of the way and started running home; to where Naoya lives

7/14 Mon, On route to Naoya's apartment, Afterschool

I was running towards the apartment right now. On my way there, I pulled out my phone again to call Junpei, Yukari, or anybody from the dorm. Somebody!

" _Kazu, yo, how are you?" "_ Let's skip the small talk, I need to ask you something!" _"Alright, what is it?"_ "Fuuka's alive, right?" "..." "Answer me!" _"...Dude, she's dead."_ "Junpei quit bullshitting me!" _"But she really is!"_ "..." " _We were tryin' to save you guys. We were able to save you, but we didn't make it in time to save her... I'm sorry man, I'm so sorry!"_

I took the phone away from my ear... _"Kazu, hello, Kazu!"_ "No way, this can't be real..." I drop to my knees... I nearly drop my phone too

"What is he doing?" "I don't know, but we should stay away from that boy." "Yeah..." I didn't care about the whispering going on about me; I can't focus on that, I can only focus on one thing. ...Fuuka Yamagishi is dead

"What the hell is this! This isn't right, she didn't die, I protected her in there? I...I..."

I feel the tears building up. Was all that a dream, WAS IT!?

"What in the actual hell!" I started punching the floor... People were looking at me, but I didn't care about what they saw or thought.

"WHY DID SHE HAVE TO DIE, HUH!? SOMEONE TELL ME, WHY! WHY THE FUCK DID SHE NEED TO DIE FOR ME! ...SHE DID NOTHING WRONG!" I kept punching until my last punch. "RAGGGGHHHH!" "*Gasp* look it that kid!" "I thought when he left it be for good." "Me, too."

While I wasn't looking, the people moved out of the way for another group of people.

"Hey, boss, isn't that the demon child?" "Yeah, I think it is..." It was just an of bunch of delinquents from St. Merlin. "You dirtied the road with your blood, and my boy wants to walk on this road. What are we gonna do about that?" "..." "He asked you a question!" "You little bastard, I said-" I hit one of them in the face... *Thud* "ARGH!" "Holy shit..." "He actually punched him!" "Move out of my way... Or you're next!"

Nobody said anything after that. ...I change directions. I was going to go see mom.

Mikage-cho graveyard, Ms. Kazuki's grave, after school

I was standing in front of my mother's grave. The breeze felt nice whenever I came here to talk to her.

"Yo, mom, it's me, Kei. I just came down here to see how you are doing, ya know... Listen, I don't know how long it been since I last talked to you, but I want you to know that-"

Fuuka's face flashed in my head before I said anything else. "...I'm not okay. I can't lie. ...I'm not alright, I feel like crap... I learned that the girl I love is actually dead. I thought she was still alive, but no, she died! She died and I didn't do anything to stop it! I'm such a piece of shit...!"

I began crying on her stone... "(Sobbing) I lost the only person, besides Naoya who ever cared about me...! And that hurts more than anything."

I hugged my mother's stone out of hurt, loneliness... "I don't know how to live with myself knowing that I could've saved her, but I didn't! To be honest, I don't know what's real anymore... I feel like everything I remember about her and me being a couple is real, but... (Sobbing) I don't know anymore. ...If you care about my mother, right here, right now, if you hear mom, please, help me; give me guidance. ...I'm so lost and I don't know what to do.

I hear nothing coming from the gravestone. Of course, what was I expecting?

"I'm sorry, mom. I was just bagging you; you probably don't want to be bothered by me. I'll be going now, you just rest peacefully here." I kiss her gravestone and I make my leave.

"Oh, wait...I almost forgot..." I wanted to check something before leaving. "Huh, where is it?"

There's suppose to be a little box around the back of the gravestone; I covered it so that nothing can touch it, or so nobody can find it. It's gone... But I don't think anybody took it; there is suppose to be some type of oil in the spot where the box is, but that spot is dry. Even if the oil dried-up it would still smell; there was no smell. "What is going on?"

I look at the back of the gravestone... "The hell!?" On the back of the gravestone, there were initials - mine and Naoya's. - They were gone "This isn't right... I need to see, Naoya!"

I started running towards the entrance of the graveyard. I'm sorry mom, I'll see you when I clear something up.

Naoya's apartment, evening

I open the door to Naoya's apartment... "Oh, Kei, how are you." I just looked at him for a moment, not moving an inch at all. "Kei, are you all right...?" I move towards him and I hug him. "Um, Kei, what are you doing?" "Just let me have this one..." I missed this guy... "Wait, why do I feel like it been a long time since I seen you?" "What...?" He looked puzzled. I let go of Naoya from my grip. "Sorry about that!" "It's alright, kid."

Oh, shit, I almost forgot..."Naoya, our initials from the gravestone disappeared!" "Our initials...?" "...Naoya, I'm serious here!" "What are you talking about?" "What do you mean, what am I talking about? Our initials, the ones we put on her grave are gone!" "We put our initials on her grave?"

What the hell is going on? Naoya makes jokes, sure, but not to this degree. "Hey, what happened to the close-up thing in your ear?" "My what...?" Hmm... Nothing about this makes sense. "Did you have an earring in high school, Naoya?" "I did..." ... "When did you take it off." "I...?" "Alright then, let me ask you this: where did first put it on?" "I don't know!" "How come?" Everything is off here.

"Hey, Kazuki, where are going?" "To my room..."

I entered my room to find it the way it would be. I look over to my hoodie. I grab one of my sleeves and I look carefully at it. "This is definitely strange." The stitch spots are gone.

Fuuka died in the Tartarus, right. Before that, I got slashed by some shadows on my arms and on my leg; my hoodie's sleeves got slashed, too. In that fact, my sleeves aren't torn.

"None of this makes sense..." I need to check just one more thing... I began to call Mitsuru... "Come on, pick up." " _Hello?"_ "Mitsu-chan." " _Kazuki, what's the matter?"_ "I need a favor." _"What is it...?"_ "I need to know something: did Fuuka have bruises on her when you found her body?" _"I...don't know."_ "Can you find out then?" _"Yes, I could_ _. Why?"_ "It's important..." _"...All right, I'll see if I can find out."_ "You have to." _"All right."_ "Good, call me if you do. I'll be over there in a few hours." _"Wait, wha-"_

I hung up the phone... I need to get to Port island! I take off the St. Merlin uniform, and I changing into my Gekkoukan uniform.

I was almost at the door before Naoya stopped me. "Kei, where are you going?" "...To see mom." "In your Gekkoukan uniform?" "Yeah, she would love to see me in this..." "I see... Alright then, come back before dinner." "Cool."

I left out of the door; I need to be right about this...

On the streets of Mikage-cho, evening

I was making my way to the station...

"Kazuki, where are you going?" "Huh?" I see a couple people behind me. Four of them were boys with lead-pipes, and three of them were girls with there phones out.

"Leave me alone." "You broke my boy's nose, I don't take kindly to that." "Yeah, so now it's our turn to hit back, again." "Hey, hit him around the face. It'll look good for the internet." "Totally..."

These girls make me sick. "You guys can try, but I'm not the same Kazuki you guys pushed around. I don't have time for you people." " Where is ya going then?" "Back to where my friends are, and back to where my girl is!" "What the hell you talking about...!?" "Sorry, you need proof, hang on."

*Vibrate* *Vibrate* *Vibrate* "Oh, that must be one of my friends." I open my phone... "Hello." _"Kazuki, I got the information you need_ " "Great! Although, I need to ask you something." _"...And that would be?"_ "If a bunch of losers that were in your way and you needed to learn something important, what would you do? Oh, wait...let me put it on speaker." _"Well, I don't know what's going on, but if I were you, I would... **Execute them!**_

"Is that so... Thanks, I'll see you when I get to, Port island." _"I'll be waiting in the dorm."_ "...Alright." I hung-up on Mitsu-chan

"You guys heard her, time for me to kick your asses!" "Get him!" One of them ran towards me. "This gonna hurt!" He swung the pipe horizontally; I grabbed the pipe before it made contact with my ribs, and I hit him square in the face with my right hand. "ARGH!" "Why you little...!" Two other guys began to run over to me. One of them try to hit me over the head; I grab it before it made an impact by clasp my hands together. "What the!?" I pull it down to my side and I kick the punk in the cheek. "Sorry about this..." I smash my fist into the stomach; I avoided his solar plexus on purpose. "Ugh!" "Get him, kick his ass!" "Yeah, Taka-kun beat his ass!" Another one comes running at me. I pick up one of the pipes off the ground and I ready myself... He swings the pipe towards my side. I blocked it, then shortly after that, I elbowed him in the face. "OW!" After that, I just simply tripped him.

"You crossed the line, bitch!" "And you didn't?" He looked pissed by my response; I can tell because he pulled out a knife on me. "Scared now!?" "No..." He ran over to me with both his hands on the handle. Good... "Take it, loser!" "Only Katsu can call me that." He thrust the blade at me. I split The index and middle finger apart from my other fingers on my left hand so that the blade wouldn't hit my fingers. While at the same time I can grab a hold of this guys hands. "What the...?" "This is gonna hurt." I end this fight by punching him with all my strength. "GAHHH!"

All four of these guys were on the ground; defeated by me. "Oh my god..." "He actually fought back!" "Y-You really are a demon!" "Think whatever you want, I'm leaving." As I left the scene I heard them insulting me. I don't care, I have more important stuff to do.

Iwatodai dormitory, lounge, Dark Hour

I was able to get to the station before the Dark Hour began.

I entered the dorm, expecting to see Mitsu-chan when I came in. But she wasn't alone. "Hey, Kei-chan." Minako... "Kazuki, you arrived good." "Yeah..." I was acting cautiously around Minako. I don't know what she's like now, so I was keeping up my guard up...

"Kazuki have the information to tell you." "Good, tell me now" "Hey, Kei-chan, you just got here. Can't this wait for the morning?' "No, I need to know now." "Come on, Mitsu-Mitsu, tell him...!" "She is right, Kazuki, you should rest for now." "Just tell me, then I'll rest." "Kazuki..."

They're keeping me from learning the truth, but why? "Kazuki, you couldn't do anything against the Reaper. You need to move on already." "What did you just say?" "I know it a hard truth, but you need to get over it already!" The way she said it, that's not how she would say it!

"Who are you?" "Excuse me?" "I knew Mitsuru Kirijo for only a couple months, but that isn't how she speaks!" "What are you talking about!?" I need to know something else...

"When you guys fought the shadow in Shirakawa, did another Persona user attack the building?" "Yes, why, and how do you know that?" "I'll tell you later, but let me ask something else: did you defeat him?" "Yes..." " How?" "Due to Minako..." I see. Then that means...

"Minako, when did we first meet?" "...In the hospital." Just as I thought. "Alright, I'll ask you two last things. Did you run away from that same Persona user?" "Yes." "Got you! "So then, how did you defeat him?" "...With my Persona." "Unlikely..." "Huh!?" "You weren't stronger than me back then. So how did you overpower him?" "I-It doesn't matter!" "I think it does, do you want to hear why?" "Fine, tell me..."

I need to show why this is a big deal. "Okay, here's why. Because you met him here, didn't you." "I don't know what you're talking about!?" "You know exactly what I'm talking about! He gave you a power boost!" "Y-You're just saying bullshit!" "Am I..." "You are!"

Time to bust out the calculations! "You arrived here on the 17th of June, right?" "Yeah!" "So it has been a grand total of twenty days you have been here." "What's your point?" "Mitsu-chan, you observed her when we took her to Tartarus, how strong was she when she first went...?" "As strong as you all were when you first started." "I see... So Minako, can you explain how you were able to defeat Katsu, then?" "..." "Even I had a hard time fighting him off, so how did you accomplish this?" "..." "What's the matter; cat got your tongue?"

I look over to Mitsuru... "And let me guess: her body didn't have any bruises." "I...don't know." "Hmm... Mitsu-chan, did you tell Minako about these events: me getting slashed across the chest, me stopping the train from crashing!" "Yes, I filled her in on all the past operations."

I think I get it now! "All right then. Mitsu-chan, do remember what we talked about when I returned to the dorm after my first day of school here?" "N-No..." " "Fine then, I give you an easy one. When we were about to go to Tartarus for the first time, I was on time, wasn't I?" "...Ye-Yes, you were!"

That sealed it! I found what I was looking for! "You're wrong, I was late and you scolded me for it." "..."

I look over to Minako... "This world, it's fake, and you know it!" "I...um...ah." "Admit it!" I see a blank facial expression form on her face "How did you figure it out?" "There were a lot of things out of place." "I see, but what tipped you off?" "There were some details missing from my mothers grave." "Oh, I see, he didn't give me enough details. That idiot!" I see this world is based off what she knows...

Her hand was slowly going for her Evoker. Gotta get the first hit in...! "Skeith!" "I knew you were gonna do this... Mitsuru!" "Bufula!" *Bang* A block of ice came flying in my direction. "Skeith, break it!" As commanded, Skeith destroyed the ice block into pieces. "Wow, sure is cold in here, right, Kei-chan~?" I command Skeith to start punching Mitsuru's Persona. "Polydeuces!" "Io!" *Bang* *Bang* I heard two gunshots; crap, the others are here!

"Now the real party can begin for us Kei-chan!" A gust of wind is sent hurling in my direction. I dodge out of the way by jumping over the counter. "Zionga!" I hear lightning coming in my direction. "Skeith, the table!" Skeith picks up the table and throws it towards the Zio lightning. "Damn, it was canceled out! ...Gotta do the job myself..." *Bang* Minako summons Susan-o and I see it trying to do that move "Brave blade". "Skeith, block it!" Skeith shields me with both its arms block its chest. "ARGHHH" My arms start throbbing. That hurt like hell, but I'm still alive at least... "Still alive I see, then we'll have to spice it up! Yukari, Akihiko...combination attack!" As Minako said, they began to combine skills. "Zionga!" "Garula!" "Ziodyne!" A multitude of gunshots was made. A giant hurricane was forming from their combined powers. "Shit, this is bad...!" "What's the matter, feeling the PRESSURE Kei-chan." That was a terrible pun!

 _"Kazuki-kun..."_ "Huh, Fu-chan!?" _"Get...to...Tartarus...only hope!"_ It's distorted, but I heard her say get to Tartarus. I need to escape here first!

The hurricane hit the counter, but the good thing about this is that the hurricane is covering their view of me. I break the window in front of me with my whole body. I don't think that was a good idea, but whatever. "Ow, that stings!" They didn't see me jumping out of the building, good. "Time to go to Tartarus!"

Inside Iwatodai dormitory, lounge, Dark Hour

I went over to see if he was dead. That attack should have put him down for the count.

"Tch!" I saw blood leading out through a broken window. He must've gone through it before our attack had hit; he's clever, I'll give him that.

"Everyone, he's going to Tartarus." "We need to stop him." "(Union) Right!" "...I won't let him get away so easily."

Monorail, Dark Hour

As I kept running for Tartarus, I was getting surprised attacked at every corner. At this point, I was running on the monorail, heading towards Tartarus.

"Okay, I'm almost there!" "Maziodyne!" In the distance, I heard a bang go off. "They're behind me already?" That attack sent electrical currents through the rails. Shit, they conduct electricity! I jump off the rails before the electricity struck me. "That was too damn close, I need to watch to watch out!" I climb back on to the rails and I continue to make my way to Tartarus.

"I knew you would dodge that... Vorpal blade." Another bang went off. "shit, where is she!?" I saw her Persona zooming over to the monorail, sword in hand. "Whoa, what the hell!?" Her Persona's attack wasn't for me, but instead the bridge. "SHIT, THIS ISN'T GOOD!" I was running for my life so the collapsing bridge behind me wouldn't catch up to me. "HOLY SHIT, THIS ISN'T COOL AT ALL, DAMN IT!"

I climbed off of the monorail and descended the stairs. I was still in the range of the monorail, so I kept running, even when I heard the railing collapsed. Thank god I have a lot of stamina in my body; M.G.'s training really is helpful, not only was I able to just get away from that awful mess, she taught me how to fight unarmed. I really need to thank her.

Tartarus, lobby, Dark Hour

When I entered Tartarus, I saw a huge bright light in the middle of the room... "What...is that?" "That's the exit you desire." "Huh?" When I looked behind me, I saw a girl with a blue hat on; she also had clothes that made her look like an elevator attendant. "Who are you?" "You are not suspicions of who I am, I might be here to attack you." "You don't seem like an enemy, but you are right." "Oh, you wish to fight, I suggest you don't request that just yet." "...Why not?" "I'll show you..."

The moment she said that a surge of energy was released from this fragile looking girl. I don't have Fuuka's ability to feel energy levels, but for some reason, I can now! "Do you understand now. I am far superior to you at this point. But that isn't to say you can't reach this type of power." "What do you mean...?" "Nothing!" Nothing, right...

Before she could answer that, Minako came busting through the door. "There you are." "Shit!" "I see... the second fool has arrived." "What did you just call me!" The second fool...? Wait, wasn't Makoto's arcana the fool?

"As much as I would like to learn more about your abilities, Kazuki-sama. You need to leave now, please." "...But-" " This isn't up to debate..." The girl comes over to me and holds back her index finger with her thumb. "As they say in your world: I.O.U." "IOU? Wait a minute! Don't tell me...!" "Flick." The flick that connected to my forehead sent me flying towards the light. That flick was strong as hell!

"You aren't getting away! Shoot Meruga!" The spear came flying in my direction. It even changed direction, aiming for my chest. "Skeith!" "Infinity..." "Huh?" A shield was deployed around my body... - A rukukaja spell?-

*Clang* The spear bounced off from my body upon contact. "What was that?" "A spell I used with the combined powers of the Personas at my disposal." "You bitch!" "What vulgar language."

The elevator attendant looks over to me... "Until I see you again, master." "WHO ARE YOU!" I could barely hear my own voice with the wind rushing past my ear. "As one would say - the most bizarre elevator attendant - Elizabeth!" She is bizarre...

I was absorbed into the bright light and everything began to feel a separation of some kind. Everything was growing brighter until I closed my eyes; it felt like the right thing to do at the time.

Iwatodai dormitory, Kazuki/Fuuka's room

I opened my eyes to find the familiar dark teal haired girl on my chest. I needed to be sure if she's really okay. "Hey, are you Fu-chan?" "Mmm..." "Huh, did you say something?" "You got away...Kazuki-kun..." She was talking in her sleep. She's okay.

"Oh, thank god...!" I was about to cry my eyes, but I didn't want to disturb her sleep.

I got up from the bed and I went over to the sink to wash my face so I would know if this was a dream. "It's not a dream... Good, this is real..."

I dried my face off and went back into bed. When I got back into bed, she wrapped her arms around mine, I still feel the pain I felt when I was in that other world, - Both physically and mentally...-

More importantly, how did Minako make that world? She must've had help from Nyarlathotep! Yeah, no doubt about it... "But what was the point of that?"

I look below to Fuuka... "You saved me again, you really do have my back..." She's been putting in more work than me. I need to catch up...

Iwatodai dormitory, Minako Arisato's room, Midnight

I woke up in sweat after Kazuki got away. That weird woman in the fake world gave me a run for my money.

"Damn it, I had him!" "You sure about?" I look over at my door. It was that Nyarlathotep bastard! "You...what the hell are you doing in here!" "Nothing just came to SEE you." "That joke sucks balls!" "Calm down, calm down... I really do want to tell you something." "What?"

He proceeds to walk over to my desk and he grabs the picture on there. "He looked so precious back then." "What is it to you?" "...Everything - I mean, we are the same person he and I... -" I look at him in disgust... I know he knows where Makoto is, but he won't tell me, and that aggravates me the most.

"What do you want!" "...I came here to give you a sweet offer." "An offer?" "Here is the offer: become my player and fight against Philemon's player..." Philemon, who's that? "What's the catch?" "In return: I'll give the location of Makoto. Not a bad deal, ay..."

I couldn't believe what I just heard... "You aren't lying, are you...?" "Minako...I need soldiers on the battlefield, and you fit that description. So what would lying get me? Besides, you plan on destroying this place in a year if Kazuki doesn't find him. So until then why not speed up the process..."

The offer was tempting, hell, why not take the offer; I can find Makoto faster like this. ...Although, I do need to work with this bastard, what other choice do I have? "Fine, I'll be your player..." "Great." Nyarlathotep opens my door... "I'll contact you later. For now, rest and get ready for that trip to Yakushima; a lot of fun things will happen here.

Before closing the door fully, he pocks his head back into my room. "Remember, Minako: this face might get hurt if you betray me..." He was wearing Maokto's face.

He withdrew his head and closed the door behind him. I lied back down on my bed... I still feel the wet spots on my bed; I'm sweating a lot! I looked towards the moon... "Makoto, hang in just a little longer... I'll save you!"

 **Hello everyone - Proxy's Saga here... I have only one thing to say. (Maybe two?) One: the exposing of the fake world was inspired by Danganronpa's class trials. (I love the trials, they're just the best!) And two: I tried to bring the feels for this chapter in the first half, and that half was inspired by "Re: zero" A great anime and light novel, and I suggest reading it or watching it whenever you can. Welp, with that being said I hope this chapter was good, because the Yakushima arc includes Rin-sama in a swimsuit; YESSS!**

 **Rin: Why are you talking about me in such a manner?**

 **Proxy's saga: Sorry...**

 **Rin: You know, Kirijo-senpai taught me something interesting.**

 **Proxy's saga: What?**

 **Rin: ...How to perform an execution!**

 **Proxy's saga: Please not me!**

 **Rin: Reason...**

 **Proxy's saga: Because I created you...**

 **Rin: Not good enough.**

 **Proxy's saga: Oh shit! Well, until next time; see ya...**

 **Rin: I'd advice the audience not to hold their breaths.**

 **Proxy's saga: WAIT, WAIT, WAIT...! YOU DON'T REALLY MEAN TO EXECUTE ME, RIGHT!? RIN-CHAN, RIN-CHAAAAN!**


	25. Yakushima

**A/N: The twenty-fifth chapter; hooray! Thank you to everyone who has favorited and followed the story so far. Let's keep this fanfic going until the very end! (Hopefully, that won't be for a while.) Ladies and gentlemen; enjoy.**

7/18 Sa, Gekkoukan high, class: 2-E, Afterschool

After passing the finals, (hopefully) I was resting off the stress… I was in a great position on my chair; just right for the best amount of sleep.

"Kazuki-kun, wake up…" I was awoken by a low pitch voice I'm oh-so-very fond of. "Sup…" "You sound depressed, what happened?" "...Well, I think I failed." "It'll be fine. You probably did okay." "Easy for you to say, you still had time to study! Wait, when did you study…?" "The day before we started cooking for everyone."

Yeah, I see how she would be able to study without me noticing; I was asleep for most of that day.

"Welp, that doesn't matter. At this point, all that matters is one thing: Yakushima!" "I see you're excited about the trip tomorrow." "Of course!"

I looked over at the door that slides open… It was Natsuki. "Hey, Fuuka, Kazuki." "Yo." "Hello, Moriyama." "Fuuka, can I borrow you for a minute?" "What for?" "I need your help on a subject." "Oh, okay, but..." Fuuka looked over at me. "It's okay, I need to see something anyway." "Thanks, Kazuki." "No prob."

I got out of my seat and I patted, Fu-chan on the head. "I guess I'll see you at the dorm," Fuuka said, knowing the answer to that question "I guess you will-" "Is something the matter?" "No, not at all."

I walked over to the door and I slide it wide-open. "See ya." "Bye, Kazuki." "I'll see you later, Kazuki-kun."

I closed the door behind me... I put my hand over my heart to see how fast it was going; it felt like it was gonna come bursting out. I saw blood on her head, but I know it was just my mind playing tricks on me. "This is ridiculous! I need to see go see her!

Gekkoukan high, Class: 2-F, Afterschool

I went inside of the classroom. I was looking for, Minako... I saw her with, Jun and Yuka-chan; she seems happy talking to them, but it's just an act!

I went over to them. "Yo, Kazu, what up, man!" "Nothing." Jun seems to be excited. "I'm so excited for the trip! I wish tomorrow was today already!" "I know what you mean." "Yeah, if two perverts were told that they would be going to an island with some girls on there, of course, they would be excited ." I look at Minako after her comment. "I mean, aren't you a perv too, Kazuki?" "Hell no!" She's acting as if she didn't try to trap me and kill me in a fake world, last night. "How do I know you aren't lying?" "Because I don't care what you think!" "...Last time I checked: people referred to me as Minako - the queen bee of Gekkou high. So you have to care." "...And did you hear I didn't care, nor heard a single person call you that; because that would require you to pay someone to say that about you." "You asshole!"

Looks like her anger is seeping through her act, or maybe it's also an act? "What vulgar language." "...!" Minako jumped out of her chair. She looked ready to hit me with everything she's got.

"(Whispering) I don't think you know who you're messing with, but it's not me!" "(Whispering) You're the one to talk! You nearly killed me in that other world! What happened to me finding Makoto in two mouths?" "(Whispering) That Nyar bastard told me to, so I did."

I was beginning to feel sick... I got her away from me before she could say anything else to me.

"Are you two okay," Yukari asked, with a worrisome expression on her face. "Yeah, we're just fine, Yuka-chan." Yeah, fine...

I felt like our Persona's were about to clash. I break away from our staring match and made way towards the door...

I was outside of the class now... "So, she doesn't care if we live before the deadline expires, huh?" In that case, I don't have time anymore; I need to get stronger soon...!

7/19 Sun, outside Iwatodai dormitory, Morning

It was the day of the trip, and I was so hyped for this!

When I got out of the dorm with Fu-chan, we saw something weird. "What the hell," I said as I saw a duffel bag in the middle of the sidewalk. "Kazuki-kun, there's something on the bag." I pick up the piece of paper on it. It says: "Take me along..." I turned it around, there was more writing on there too saying: "Do not open until on boat!"

I look over to Fu-chan, to see what she thinks about this... She was just as confused as I am. "Well, I might as well..." I pick up the bag, it was heavy! What's in here...? "Let's get going, Fu-chan" "Um, okay, but are you okay...? You seem like you're struggling." "No problem! I got this!" I don't get it...

On route to Yakushima, Morning,

It's been a couple of minutes since we boarded the boat. I looked over at the bag I been lugging around with me.

"Time see what's inside..." I opened the bag wide open... "...!" "..." What the hell!? "*Yawn* Oh, good morning, Kazuki..." I looked dumbfounded at the bag; this was just too much.

"M.G." "Yes." "Why were you in a duffel bag?" "I came down to the docks earlier than you all, and I saw the security. They would've searched me for weapons, and I needed to bring my equipment to the island, so..." "...So you had me smuggle you in." "Exactly..." I wasn't yelling like I usually would, but I couldn't due to me being weirded-out by all this...

"M.G. Why, just why...?" "It was the only way..." "Yeah...sure." M.G. stands out of the bag like this what she regularly does this...

"Kazuki-kun, do you want to-" Fuuka stopped midway in her sentence. "Why is Shizuka-chan inside of a duffel bag?" " I have no idea..." "'...To board the boat properly." "Um... That sounds quite...unorthodox" "It is, but I had no other choice but to do this. Besides, I might need my equipment." "Equipment?" "Don't ask, Fu-chan. Just don't ask..."

I began to contemplate my life just a bit now...

Yakushima, Kirijo vacation house, afternoon

I walked in the Kirijo vacation; it was bright with all the white all over the place.

"Wow, this like an episode of - The rich and fabulous!" "Yeah, it's kinda bright in here." "You want to wear my mask?" "You brought it!?" "I bring it wherever I go." "You're weird..."

I saw a man with an eye patch on the right-side of his eye... Yikes, how many people do I know have eye patches? Wait no, that's insensitive to me.

Mitsuru was having a conversation with that guy... "Oi, M.G., who is that?" "Do you not know anything about the city you live in?" "Umm... Sorta."

M.G. gave out a tired sigh... "He's Takeharu Kirijo: the current CEO of the Kirijo group." "Oh... WAIT, THAT'S MITSU-CHAN'S OLD MAN!" "Quiet, you fool!" M.G. slaps me over the head. Crap! I said that out loud. "...And I assume you are referring to me." "Heh heh, Umm..." I looked at the man standing in front of me. "Am I correct?" "Y-Yes, sir..."

I'm so gonna be walking the plank today! "You're, Kazuki Kei, right." "Yes...sir." I was scared shitless right now!

"I heard a great deal about you." "R-really?" He looks over to M.G. for a moment... "We'll discuss it later. For now, I need you to do something..." "Like what?

Kirijo vacation house, Kitchen, evening

"This sucks!" Mr. Kirijo told me to come here after everybody ate before they went out to the beach. I was left with cleaning after everyone else.

"I didn't think he was so sensitive about his age! ...Then again, I did call him an old man... *Sigh* This really does suck..." "Kazuki-kun..." "Huh?" I stopped mopping the floor for a minute, and I turn around to see who's behind me. "Fu-chan, what are you doing here?" "I came to help." "Well, um... There isn't much to help with." "Then you take a break and I'll mop instead." "That's a no-go..." "I don't mind mopping the floor!"

I was too tired to put up an argument. "Fine, you win." I pass the mop off to her...

"So, did you have fun?" "Fun?" "Fun on the beach, dummy." "I actually didn't go." "Why not?" "Because I felt bad that you were on clean-up duty." "Oh..." Fuuka rests the mop against a counter, and she presses her back against me. "I also wanted you to be there to see me in a swimsuit, for the first time." "Oh...!"

I wrap my arms around her shoulders... I began to squeeze her just a bit. "Kazuki-kun, that hurts!" "Oh, sorry." I loosen my grip on her.

"Are you okay Kazuki-kun?" "Yeah, I'm fine." I still thinking about the fake world I was in; I kept remembering the pain in my knuckles when I punched the floor; I remembered the pain of losing her. Every time I look at her face for more than a second, I see blood appear out of nowhere on her face. My mothers grave.

"Fu-chan... You know what." "What?" "Someday, I'm gonna go back to see my mother's gravestone. ...I want you to come along." "You want me to go with you?" "You don't need to." Fuuka looks at me and nods her head. "It's okay, I want to..." "Cool..."

I was about to let her go, but she wouldn't let that happen. I just let us stay like this for a while... "Fu-chan..." "Hmm." "I'm glad I saved you." "I know you are, but I like that you told me."

I was trying not to say anything about the other world thing, but I couldn't resist, it felt too much for me to handle alone. I was about to tell her about it, but we were interrupted...

"Kazuki, Yamagishi, Mr. Kirijo wants to see you." "RIN-CHAN!" Fuuka moved off of me. She was blushing furiously. Oh come on, M.G.! Why you do this to me?

"Why us?" Fuuka asked, in an embarrassed tone. "Not only you two but all of SEES. Except me of course; they don't know I have a Persona. (And I'm not even apart of the team.)" "I see, but I have a different idea." "What is it," Fuuka asked with a raised eyebrow. "Tell him I don't feel too good..." "That'll never work, you fool." "Sure it won't... Can you do that for me, M.G.?" "I might as well." "Good."

I started walking away from the kitchen... "Where are you going," Fu-chan asked. "To the beach." "Are you serious, Kazuki?" "I am..." "Why are you going?" "Because I want to see you outside after the meeting." "Huh, why...!?" "Do I have to tell you everything. You'll know why, and besides, I was kept busy in here, so I didn't get to see a single bathing suit today."

I left the kitchen, heading towards the exit. "Kazuki..." "Yeah, M.G." "Careful out there." "Why, the Dark Hour isn't arriving anytime soon." "I know, but that isn't what I was referring to." "What then?" "I felt something in the forest as if we were being watched." "I see, okay, I'll be careful then."

Someone's watching us, huh? I better be on my guard.

Yakushima, beach, evening

I was waiting outside for Fu-chan... I was making puns about things I saw on my way here to pass the time

"Huh...?" I heard someone coming; it must be Fu-chan!

I looked over to where the footsteps are coming from. It wasn't Fu-chan... "Hey, Yuka-chan, how did you find me?" "What the hell do you want!?" "Whoa, why are you so hostile." "..." "Yuka-chan?" "...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that." "It's alright."

Yuka-chan looks like she was ready to start crying. What happened? "Are you alright?" "No, not really." "You wanna talk about it...?" "Fine..."

Yukari began to unload everything that happened in the meeting; her father was a researcher, who was assigned to investigate more about the shadows. But something happened during the final stages of the research. In a nutshell: he sabotaged the final stage on purpose, for some reason.

"All of that happened." "Yeah, that's what happened." "Shit..." I went quiet for a moment... "All this time, I believed in him, but faith was just worthless wasn't it." "No it wasn't, it never is." "How do you know that?" "Huh?" "What do you know anyway!"

She then grabs me by the collar... "How would you know anything about my pain!?" "I know a lot..." "...!" " You might think of me as some carefree guy, but I'm not! I have problems, too. I'm not an idiot, Yukari, I felt pain too. You don't even need me to tell you that life is painful..."

Little-by-little, Yukari is loosening her grip. "...But if you give up, that's it; you won't have anything left." "Then tell me, what should I do then!? Please, tell me!" "I don't know what you should do. But I think you should keep that faith for your dad, alive."

Altogether, she lets me go from her grasp. "Do you really think I should do that?" "Yeah. It's the only thing I could tell you to help you."

Yukari didn't move at all... I was sort of nervous about what her reaction was gonna be. "Kei-kun..." "Sup." "Thanks, for everything." Yukari looked at me with gratitude. "No problem." I smiled at her.

"You're right, you might act like Junpei sometimes, but there's something different about you." "That would be?" "You can relate to someone like me." "Well, we gonna look out for people like us..."

Yuka-chan seems to be feeling better. "So~, why are you out here? aren't you Cough, Cough?" "Oh, you want an explanation. Well, I'll have you know I am waiting for someone." "It wouldn't happen to be a certain dark-teal haired girl, would it?" "As a matter of fact, yes, it would be a teal haired girl."

Yukari began to walk away from me. "It's alright, I won't tell anybody that you aren't really sick." "Thanks." "...Although, in return, you need to do something for me." "That would be..." "You have to do something humiliating for me." "If you won't tell on me, then fine." Yuka-chan giggles with excitement; me on the other hand... "Okay, I'm gonna get going now. Don't you dare do anything...dirty to her." "O-OF COURSE I WOULDN'T!" " Hehe, I know you wouldn't. She's very lucky to have you." "...And I'm very lucky to have her." "Welp, see ya..."

Yuka-chan then walked away from me and went back to the vacation house. I hope she's okay now.

It's been about a couple of minutes after Yuka-chan returned to the house.

"Man, it sure is nice out here," I said out loud while I heard footsteps approaching towards me. "If only, if only a cute girl were to show up." "W-Will I do...? I look over my shoulder to find Fu-chan in a bathing suit. "...!" "Is there something wrong? Do I not look good in this?" She was wearing a teal colored swimsuit. I think a one-piece...?

"I'm sorry!" "For what?" "You don't seem to like this." "No, no, that's not it." I was blushing like crazy; it was just too much skin for me to handle, and...

"You look amazing." "Really, than-thank you." "You seriously look great."

I sat down on the floor, and in turn, she sat next to me... "I know it's night, but the sea still looks nice." "You look nice too, ya know." Fu-chan pressed her shoulder against mine. "But, yeah, the sea does look nice..."

It went quiet for a minute until...

"Kazuki-kun, I have a question." "Go ahead." "When we defeat all of those full-moon shadows, what about 'us'?" "What do you mean?" "After we defeat them, they'll disband SEES; then after that, the dorm will probably close down, and then..."

I went over to the water... I grab a hand-full of it and I fling it at Fu-chan. "Ahh! That's cold, why did you do that!?" "Because you worry too much." "What!" "Come on, you aren't gonna take that, are you?" "N-No!" "Come on, use your lungs!" "NO!" "Nice!"

She then charged at me with some water in her hand. "At least water isn't my weakness." I dodge out of the incoming attack. "Gonna have to move faster than-" *Splash* "*Cough* *Cough* *Cough* That was a low-blow," I said in a not-so-serious way. "I might be slower than you, but I can think a bit faster." "Oh, I see how it is. I guess I better amp my game, then." I move forward towards her, while I scooped up some water in my hand. "Take it!" I threw the water at her... "Ahh, I'll get you for that!" I slipped behind her, and I wrap my arms around her. "Gotcha!" "Ahh, let me go!" "I can't do that, Ms. Yamagishi."

In a last-ditch effort, she turned around and jumped off the ground. "Whoa!" *Splash* "Did you really need to do that?" "You left me no option." I see a smile form on her face. It made me forget about all the pain that was coursing through my back go.

"Fu-chan, even if the dorm shuts-down, there will still be you and me; I promise." "But, you don't know anyone that lives in Port island, besides me and everyone else." "You're right. ...But~, that doesn't mean I don't have a method for that situation when the time comes." "You do?" "Yep."

She rested her head on my chest... I'm still scared that I might not be able to protect her. But I need to push past that and do it anyway... "Hey, we should come here again." "How would we? We might not be able to get Mitsuru-senpai to bring us here again." "We can always get jobs." "I guess you're right. And I would love to come here with you again."

It's getting late, we should probably start heading back to the vacation house. "Kazuki-kun, we should probably get going, the Dark Hour is gonna arrive soon" "You're right, let's get back." I got off the floor/sea and I pull Fu-chan up and we began walking out of the sea.

"Hmm?" "What is it, Kazuki-kun...?" "Nothing." That's strange, I thought I saw someone in the forest; someone watching us from the distance. "..."

Kirijo vacation house, Kei Kazuki's room, early in the morning

I was sleeping peacefully next to Fuuka until I was awakened by a voice.

"Kazuki, wake up!" "Mmm... M.G., why are you in my room!?" "Why is she then?" "You got me there..." "Anyway, put some better clothes on." "Why, I wanna stay in my PJ's...?" M.G. lifts up a duffel bag on top of the bed. "We're going hunting..."

 **O** **kay, now all I need to do before they leave Yakushima, is... M.G. in her bathing suit! Oh, crap! Hello everybody, Proxy's saga here. I have only a few things to say, really. One would be that the next chapter will be sort-of a "How in the hell!?" You know what, you'll see what I mean next week. And lastly (there wasn't much to say, was there) please follow, and, or like the story. Even leaving a comment about the story helps; it acts as greater motivation to know when someone leaves a positive comment, and to leave criticism is a great way for me to improve with the writing of this story, and it's characters. So until the next chapter; see ya.**


	26. The threat

7/21 Tu, The forests of Yakushima, early in the morning

Its been almost an hour now since we entered the forest. So far, nothing.

"It's been an hour now! What are trying to find out here?" "The thing that is watching us…" "What is watching us, exactly?"

That's a good question... "Oi, M.G., how much longer are we gonna-" "Shh!" "What is it!?" "I sense something nearby!"

It was quiet, too quiet… *Stab* "*Gasp*" "The hell!?" Kazuki's leg was stabbed with something. *Thud* He fell to the ground. "Kazuki, are you alright!?" "Damn, that… Didn't hurt?" "What?" "Yeah, I feel fine! In fact, it's almost like I don't feel my leg at all." "What did you just say." "I don't feel my leg at all." What did he get hit with?

He tried to move his leg, but it wasn't budging at all. "What the...!?" "Your leg, what happened!?" "It won't move!" Why isn't it? "...!" I saw something flying towards us. Before they could hit me anywhere, I caught them all. "Damn, M.G., you have skills!" "Think nothing of it. But tell me something: can you feel your leg in the slightest?" "No, It feels numb!" Hmmm…

I went over to Kazuki and I pull out the object that hit his leg. "This is a tranquilizer dart." "Are you kidding me!? What, I'm gonna go to sleep then?" "No, It would've taken effect by now." Plus, it only affected his leg; why? "Hey, why are just sitting there?" "I need to see something." "What?" "...How long that paralyzer will last." "Let's hope it's not permanent."

It's been three minutes since he has been hit with the dart. I don't really know if it is a poison; and if it is, I'll cure it before it kills him.

"Hey, M.G.! I can feel my leg again!" "..." "Did you hear me?" "Yes, I did." The paralyzer only lasted for three minutes... "I see… It'll only last for three minutes." "For three minutes?" "Yes…"

We need to find the person that is stalking us. I sat down on the floor and I cleared my mind of any thought; allowing me to obtain a better state to find this person.

"M.G., you alright?" "..." "M.G., are you alright?" "Shh!" I was concentrating on finding the enemy...

Found them! "Let's go, Kazuki!" "Really, how did you find him?" "Concentration…" We went over to where I sensed the presence.

We ended up on a straight path with hills on both sides of us. "You sure this is the place?" "Yes… I detected it here."

I look around the area; this place… "Hey, M.G. did you notice something." "If you're thinking what I'm thinking, then yes."

This place has a weird landscape I'll give it that. But that's the thing - the layout… The road is devoid of anything. There is only a boulder on our left-hand-side, but other than that, nothing. So, this gives me a reason to believe… "Kazuki…" "Yeah." "We have been baited!" "...!"

*Bang* *Stab* "...!" "...!" We saw something impact the ground. "Kazuki, behind the boulder!" "Gotcha!" We jumped behind the boulder... *Slice* "ARGGGHHH" There was something shining between the rock. "What in the world!?" There was a piece of a blade engraved inside of the boulder. "Holy shit, this hurts a lot!" "Where did you get sliced" "Where ya think!" I saw a wound in the left-side of his body. "Hang on, I'll heal it." I put my hands on the wound and I began to channel my _SP_ into a healing skill. "Diarahan…" The wound began to close up. "Whoa, that's cool!" "*Fingers snap* Kazuki, focus!" "Sorry!" *BANG* *Thud* "Damn, we can't reach this bastard like this!" "I know, but we need to change our situation!" I need to figure out what the best course of action is.

"All right, Kazuki, I have a plan." "What is it!?" "We need to locate where on that hill the enemy is, exactly." "How do we do that?" "I need you to do that for me!" "How can I?" "With these…" I handed Kazuki a pair of binoculars. "Also, here…" ...And I handed him a couple of sniper bullets. "Okay, I get the binoculars, but what do I do with the sniper bullets?" "I know this will be a bit bizarre. ...But summon your Persona!" "Um, I can't do that now. It isn't the Dark Hour yet!" "Just do it." Kazuki didn't say anything after that. "Skeith!" As I expected, he can summon his Persona, without the Dark Hour. "How can I do that?" "You're able to summon your Persona without the Dark Hour…" They must be using 'that' device on this island, or maybe...

"Okay, Kazuki, you know what to do now, right?" "Yeah, I know what I need to do with the bullets!" "Good!" I was ready to jump over this boulder.

"Kazuki, cover me!" I jumped over the boulder and I ran right over to the enemy…

...

I watched M.G. run to the enemy. She doesn't any cover to hide behind; if she gets shot at, she's gonna need to dodge it or caught it. Either way, this method isn't ideal but it's the only one we have!

"(To himself) Okay, Kei...focus!" I looked through the binoculars. I saw M.G. scaling the hill. *Bang* M.G. dodged the first shot but something unexpected happened… *BANG* *Stab* "Damn, there was a second bullet!" M.G. was shot in the left-arm. "M.G., ARE YOU OKAY!?" "YES, JUST FOCUS ON FINDING WHERE THE SHOTS CAME FROM!" "Shit, the pressure!" I was still trying to see where the shot came from. *Bang* I was looking for where that gunshot just came from. "Come on, I need to find it!" Wait, it the shots are being shot from afar then they must be using a sniper! And if so, then all I need to do is find a lens flash. *BANG* *Stab* Just before M.G. got hit in the leg, I saw a lens flash; I found the sniper. "Found you!" I summoned Skeith and I hand him a sniper bullet. "..." "KAZUKI, HURRY UP!" I need to think this one out for a minute. "KAZUKI, WHAT ARE YOU DOING! I got an idea! "Okay, aim… FIRE!" Skeith shot the bullet… *Thud* The bullet made an impact with the cover that the enemy was using. "KAZUKI, YOU MISSED!" The enemy moved out of cover. "I didn't miss... On accident!" *Stab* The bullet went through the person's shoulder. "Gotcha!"

I ran over to M.G. "Hey, you okay!?" "Yeah, I'll be fine. You lured them away from their cover, making them move out in the open... Smart." "Well... I think that it was up to chance when I did that because maybe they wouldn't have moved out of cover." "You're right..."

M.G. looks over to the trail the person made. "Kazuki, go after the sniper." "I can't leave you here!" "I'll be fine… I'll just wait out the effect. Now go!" "O-Okay!" I started running after the sniper by myself."

Yakushima, abandoned house, Morning

The trail ended at an abandoned house. I entered the house with caution of the enemy possibly putting traps in here. The house looked like a mansion on the inside, then it did on the outside. There was a staircase on the left and right side, leading to the second level. I found the same weird liquid I was following all the way here.

"...The trail is going this direction..." I went under the right staircase. There was a door leading into another room.

I was in a kitchen… I walked into the kitchen, cautious of what could happen next….

Snap* "Huh?" I looked at my feet to see a wire at the bottom of my sneaker. "Shit!" I saw a knife coming for me… "Skeith!" I had Skeith catch the knife. "That was close! This guy seriously loves to ambush people!" I moved towards the giant mirror; there was no frame around it. "Target sighted, deploying sniper." "Huh!" I saw a girl behind me. "Why are you doing this!? You hurt my friend out there!" "That doesn't matter to me. What matters is this: you are a threat to this world." A threat? What does she mean?

I summoned Skeith to grab the sniper rifle from this girls hands. "Tactical maneuver…" She sidestepped to her left and then tried to kick me on the side of my head. ...I bent backward. But I guess she predicted that I would do that because she threw a grenade into the air when I did dodge. "The hell!?" "Agi grenade." "Skeith!" I shielded myself behind Skeith… *BOOM* "(Grunting) Damn!" The blast was powerful enough to bring the house down on our heads! (Which didn't happen, Fortunately enough.)

...

When the dust settled, I was still alive, barely though... "Target sighted." "Oh, no!" "Locked on… Fire!" *Bam* "..." *Thud* "Target eliminated, confirming the cause of death. ...*Gasp* This is impossible!The target wasn't eliminated but in fact..."

...

"SKEITH!" I had Skeith punching the woman. This was disgusting for me to do, but I need to live! All the punches landed in a quick succession. "I'm sorry about this!" Skeith delivered one last blow to her chest. *Glass shattering* *Thud* I saw her crash through the mirror behind her, into another room. *Sizzle* "What in the world…!?" This girl that was standing in front of me wasn't a girl.

"How are you alive, how did you trick me?" "When you shot me, you shot the mirror in reality." In her view: she saw me, but that was my reflection... I saw her before she saw me, so I took advantage of that; I walked to the perfect angle to stand in front of the mirror and for her to see my reflection. Once then, she shot a bullet in my reflections head, that's when I started to play dead. After that, I waited for her to move closer to the mirror, so Skeith can finish the job...

"Now, time for me to ask a question. What are you?" "I am an anti-shadow weapon; created to destroy all shadows." "Why did you attack is then, huh!?" "You are a threat, you must be eliminated. By any means necessary." She then began to light-up… "What are you doing!?" "Self-destruction program activated." "WHAT!"

It was getting more hotter after she said that. "Shit!" I was gonna convince her to stop, but she looked like she wasn't going to listen to me. "I will destroy you, even if it means I must die myself." I ran my ass out of there before she went off. "Come on! Run, man, RUN!" I was looking at the door in the main hall… *BOOM* "Holy shit!" When I reached the door, I slammed my body against the door. I was blown away from the mansion a bit when I hit the floor.

"..." The mansion was on fire, even the rubble was on fire as well. The mansion was destroyed from the inside out. "Well, that was...bizarre."

I got up from the ground and I began to walk away from the burning house.

That girl was dead-set on ridding me of this world. I should be mad but for some reason, I can't find it within me to be mad...

"Was this really worth it."

The forest of Yakushima, Morning

I was trying to return to where I left M.G. I know she's strong but that doesn't stop me from worrying about her.

"I found you." "Huh?" All of a sudden, a leg was aimed at my face. "What the…!?" I blocked the attack, but that felt like a mistake. "ARGH" I felt the full force of that attack weigh heavily against my arms. (I think it's broken!) "You are very durable." "Tch, another one!" This one had blond hair, with some sort of earphone thingy overlapping it. She also had these sky-blue eyes.

"You are not escaping from me!" "Sure I'm not!" If this is like the same one I fought, she'll most likely trap me to get me.

"I will eliminate the threat in an orderly fashion." A moment after she said that, she sprang right at me and she grabbed my face when she came in reach. "Target captured." She slammed me against and through the trees. "ARGHHH" "You are truly are durable." "Shut it, you toaster!" I was still being slammed through trees. I saw her coming towards me. I was in a blocking position, but it didn't matter, she made a swift kick to my solar plexus. "UGHHH!" That kick alone sent me flying through a bunch of trees. *Thud* I finally stopped moving… A giant tree broke my momentum.

"*Painful groaning*" "You are still conscious." "Damn straight…!" "Then, I'll have to use lethal force…" She pointed a barrel-like thing at me; is it a gun barrel? "When I open fire, you won't survive." "..." This isn't good. I need to run! "Aiming hand cannons… Preparing to fire…" This is not a good situation. "Firing now!" "SHIT!" *BAM* *BAM* *BAM*

"Huh, …what happened?" I looked in front of me to find someone standing in front of me.

"I leave you alone, and this what happens. Do I have to clean up the mess for you?" M.G.! She was wearing different clothes other than her skin suit... When did she find time to change?

"How did you find us?" "By sensing you out." That makes sense. "You readjusted my arm…" "I simply moved it to another direction. Think nothing of it." "Unfortunately, I can not think of it as nothing. You are dangerous, as well." "Am I now…"

This was getting intense. M.G. has a knife in her hand, and the robot is using guns. This could end badly!"

"Sukukaja!" The robot used a buff on itself and slipped past M.G. "That won't do…" "I will eliminate him now!" "Crap!" My body felt numb; I couldn't move at all. "Elimination is at hand!" I flinched for the incoming attack.

"Don't hurt him!" "Huh," I mumbled out of my mouth. "..." M.G. didn't say anything, she just put her knife. I saw someone run over to me. "Kazuki-kun, what's going on!?" "Nothing," I said in a hushed voice. "Please, Kazuki-kun, you're hurt badly! Something is happening!" "It's okay, really…" "No, it's not! No, It's not..." Fuuka grips my hoodie…

"You're right, I'm acting like an idiot. How about this to make up for it. You can have me do anything for you." "But you would do anything I said anyway." "But this time, anything at all."

My field vision was getting blurrier by every second. "Kazuki-kun, Kazuki-kun!" My eyes were getting heavier. They began to close shut.

7/22 W, Kirijo vacation house, Kei Kazuki's, Morning

I was starting to come around, and with the most painful headache of my entire life.

"Ow! Damn, my back is killing me!" I had bandages wrapped around my torso and my arms. "What happened?" "You blacked out." "Who's there?"

Fuuka came into my view after I asked. "I knew that I got knocked out. But I want to know what happened afterward."

Fuuka began to tell me what happened while I was knocked out… The blond-haired robot was Aigis. Ikutsuki said that she wasn't activated manually; and said she must've detected some sort of danger on this island. It was also stated that she had a plum of dusk inside her which allows her to use a Persona - Palladion. - This Plum of Dusk is also used inside of Mitsu-chan's bike and in the dorms.

"Well, that's cool." "You don't seem surprised by the fact she's an android." "I am, it's just…" I've already seen something like Aigis before. "But truth be told, I'm not excited all that much." That's a surprise. I thought Fuuka would be more excited, more than anyone. "Why not?" "When we asked her what happened, Aigis admitted to injuring you; she kept saying that you were dangerous." "I don't know why she thinks that, but I'm pretty sure it's a misunderstanding. Eventually, she'll get used to me and everything will be fine." "It doesn't look that way. She looks dead set on you being a threat." "*Sigh* When you put it like that, you're right."

I laid on my back in a sort of frustration.

"Hey, Kazuki-kun… Why didn't you tell me where you were going?" "I- *Gasp*" I saw this seriously scary look on Fu-chan's face. "Well…" "M.G. snuck into our room and told me that we were going hunting for something watching us from a distance in the forest!" "Oh, okay… Sorry about that, then." I never felt more terrified in my life.

"Also…" "Y-Yeah…?" "Here…" Fu-chan unveiled a neatly wrapped bento. Wait, what? "I brought some food just in case you woke up." "Tha-thank you." This isn't gonna end well, but I think I do deserve this… "Bottoms up!" I picked up the chopsticks and I put some of the food in my mouth. "..." "Is it good?" "...It's great!" "Really!?" "Yeah, I mean it!"

I couldn't stop eating, it was just too good to put down… "Ahh, that was good." "(To herself) If he liked it, then why did Junpei-kun have a different reaction…?" "What about Jun?" "Nothing really. I asked him to taste it before I gave this to you." "Really, that's a shame." "Why?" Time to say something suave…

"Because I wanted to be the first one to taste something this good…" "...But Junpei-kun wasn't." "Huh?" "I asked almost everyone to try my food." "Really?" "They were all acting pretty funny after they tried my food." "Is that so…" I think she almost killed all of SEES in one go.

"Also, speaking of which, you're feeling better, right?" As a matter of fact, I don't feel any pain. "Yeah, I feel fine." "Then, can we go on the beach, then? I'd go with Yukari-chan and Mitsuru-senpai, but they said they weren't feeling so well." "Oh, okay then."

I look at my sheets to see if I was wearing pants; I was, but I wasn't wearing a shirt. "You know what, I'll meet you out there," I said with a hint of embarrassment. "Um, okay. I'll see you out there, Kazuki-kun.'

Fuuka shut the door behind her, leaving me by myself.

 **"You are an enemy. Must destroy, must destroy. Must also make toast."** "Shut up!" **"How about you be quiet! Because you're such a pussy, we got our asses destroyed!"** "What do you mean 'we'!?' **"What do think I mean, dumbass!"** "How should I!" **"You know what, that's okay, you'll learn in due time. But for now, don't mess our face up!"** "Wait a minute, I'm not done talking to you...!" It was no use, he was done talking...

"Shit!" I was angry and frustrated at what he said... *Sigh* I better get ready.

Yakushima, beach, Morning

I was outside, on the beach, wearing my swimsuit. I was wearing a pair of all-white swimming trunks. "Kazuki-kun, over here!" I saw Fu-chan walking towards me. And behind her was M.G. She was wearing an all black bikini bra, and one of those skirts around her waist. "Kazuki, you're fine I see." "Yeah, I am." "Good..."

M.G. dropped something on the sand. "What is that?" "This is training for the remainder of our time here." "Alright..." I slammed my right fist, onto my other hand's palm. "Let's do this!"

...

Only three minutes passed, and Kazuki-kun looks like he was struggling. "This...a lot of weights!" "Keep swimming with those weights on." "I'll sink with these on!" "Don't make exaggerations. Those won't sink you, if anything, they'll just make your limbs ripped off." "THEN TELL ME WHY YOU GET TO RELAX ON A DAMN FLOATY!" "Isn't this what one brings to the beach?"

I think Kazuki-kun popped a blood vessel because he let out an enraged scream. He began to swim faster. "Is he gonna be okay?" "Yes, he'll be fine..." Rin-chan took a sip of her drink; I think she's messing with him at this point.

7/23 Th, Yakushima, beach, Afternoon

I was gazing out at the vastness of the sea. I felt more at peace seeing this, and this was more beautiful than anything jewel in the world.

"M.G., hey." "Oh, Kazuki... Why are you here, don't you want to spend time with Yamagishi?" "Of course I do, but we can both wait until we're on the boat, or back at the dorm." "I see..."

We were both looking at the sea now. "Do you feel it, Kazuki." "What?" "Calming sound of the sea crashing against itself." "Yeah...I do. You're into that calm and serene stuff, aren't you?" "Yes." "You're kind of like a monk..." "A monk..." "Um, did I say something wrong?" 'No, it's nothing..."

Kazuki looks over to me... "M.G. no, Rin... Thank you." "For what?" "For saving us, for healing us. Seriously, you saved us more times than I can count." "But, Kazuki, you need to-" "...Be able not to rely on you all the time, I know. And that's why I wanted your help in the first." "..." "That and to get stronger to protect the people I care about.

I looked over to Kazuki. I see something that I saw in Tartarus the first time we met; determination...

"Shizuka, Kazuki." "Kirijo-senpai." "Sup, Mitsu-chan" "Nothing in particular. How are the both of you?" "We are fine, thank you for asking."

Kirijo looks over to me... "Shizuka, about two days ago..." "What about it?" "It's about the girl you encountered in the forest." "What about her?" "Can you forget you ever saw her." "Kirijo-senpai, you are asking me to do something that is sort of impossible for me to do." "..." "Rin..." "...However, if you are asking me to pretend I never encountered her, that is something I can do."

Kirijo gave out a smile of gratitude... Kazuki wiped the non-realistic sweat off of him.

"Hello, everyone!" "Oh, Arisato, Yamagishi... What are the two of you doing here." I looked over at Arisato and Yamagishi; they brought their luggage with them... I was paying more attention to Arisato's power. It has a dark presence wrapped around her; in a way, it's overwhelming.

"Mino-chan, did you drag Fu-chan," Kazuki is putting up an act. I don't blame him. "I saw her and I was on my way here, so I just asked her to come along with me. ...Isn't that right, Fu-Fu-chan~..." "Y-ye-Yeah." "Don't be so nervous, Fu-chan. ...We're all friends, right~." "Of course!" I saw no emotion in her eyes like I do with Kazuki. This positive attitude isn't out of malice, but for a facade.

"It was good to be in a bikini and all, but I felt like something more...interesting needed to happen. Ya know what I'm saying, Shizu..." "...Ka, Shizuka Rin." "Nice to meet you, I'm Minako Arisato." "Likewise." We already met, twice to be specific. "How do you know my name? (Kind of.)" "A lot of the second and third years are always talking about you." "I see... Well, that explains the letters I get in my locker.

"Well, this trip was fun either way. I just wish there was some kind of firework show." "I'm sorry, Arisato. Maybe next time." Something feels off. Not with Arisato, something else was at play here.

*BOOM* "What the hell!?" "My goodness!" "*Gasp*"

"Oh, wow, that blew up." "Huh, who said that," Kazuki asked as he was looking around. "Up here, smart guy." We all looked above ourselves to find someone was hovering above us. *Thud* "Who are you," Kirijo demanded. "Why should I tell you?"

Kazuki whispered something to me... "(Whispering) M.G., you wanna-" "(Whispering)I know what you are gonna say, and yes, let's go!" We both ran towards the enemy...

"Kazuki, Shizuka, wait!" "Let's dance!"

 **Sup, everyone, Proxy's saga. This** **first weeks chapter went more smoothly than expected. Why...? Well~ I started using google docs! *Crickets* Nothing, really!? Not even "about time, you idiot!" Well...okay then; I'll just sit in the corner... And also,** **Follow the story if you want to know when I update two chapters, each week. Now, ladies and gentlemen; enjoy the skit. (Wanted to do this skit for a while now.** **And, if you want to have a question of your own appear in these skits, then put your question for any character in the reviews, so when I get to that character, I'll have some fan-asked questions.)**

 **The Dark Hour interview: Host - Fuuka Yamagishi**

 **Fuuka: He-hello...**

 **Fuuka: I'm, Fu-Fuuka Yamagishi - your host for tonight.** -

 **Fuuka: To-Today, I'm here to introduce someone you all know too well.**

 **Fuuka: ...Please, show yourself.**

 **Kazuki: Sup, everyone!**

 **Fuuka: Welcome, Kazuki-kun.**

 **Kazuki: It's good to be here...**

 **Kazuki: Especially with you.**

 **Fuuka: Stop it, you're making me blush in front of the camera!**

 **Kazuki: Sorry, let's get this show on the road.**

 **Fuuka: Okay, allow me to explain how tonight will work.**

 **Fuuka: I'm going to ask three questions for the guest.**

 **Fuuka: Is the guest ready?**

 **Kazuki: Yep!**

 **Fuuka: All right, question one: Since your hair is nearly the size of an afro, do you get heatstrokes?**

 **Kazuki: First of all, I do not have an Afro, it's low! Also, my hair is a bit...nappy.**

 **Kazuki: Second of all, no, I don't!**

 **Fuuka: Okay, for question two: Does your fashion sense come from anywhere?**

 **Kazuki: It comes from Naoya, and from a bunch of Jojo's.**

 **Fuuka: Okay, everything is going okay.**

 **Fuuka: For the final question: Where did your SMG go?**

 **Kazuki: Heh heh, that's a good question. I don't know.**

 **Fuuka: Wait, there is a gun in our room, and you don't know where it's at!?**

 **Kazuki: N-No...**

 **Fuuka: Kazuki, you need to find it, right now!**

 **Kazuki: Um, okay, but we should say goodbye, though.**

 **Fuuka: I've been your host, Fuuka Yamagishi; thank you for tuning in today. ...Now if you'll excuse us, we need to find a lost weapon in our room!**

 **Kazuki: Wait, Fu-chan, not the ear! Ow, that hurts!**


	27. armageddon

7/23 Th, Yakushima, beach, Afternoon

"Let's dance!" "M.G.!" "Follow my lead, Kazuki!" "Gotcha!" We ran towards the man in front of us. He was wearing a grey hoodie and the hood was up, so we couldn't see his face.

I jump at him with my fist approaching his face. "That won't do." He sidestepped out of my attack and kicked me in the ribs; sending me flying into some of the trees. "ARGH!" "Kazuki-kun! Mitsuru-senpai, we need to help him" "We don't have Evokers on us, and we don't have any weapons, so we can't fight back!" The hooded man was walking over to Fuuka. "Get the hell away from her, You son of a bitch!" "Yamagishi-chan, right?" "You have no business with her!" Mitsuru stood in front of Fuuka… "If you think you'll get off this island without a scratch… You're sorely mistaken!"

I was right behind him, ready to punt his head off. "HAAAA!" He squatted down to avoid the attack. "Tch, don't get cocky!" I ran around him to his back, and I started punching in his direction. "You can't hit me at all." "We'll see about that!" I was throwing as many punches as I could, but he was dodge and moving my fist out of the way. "Is that all you can muster?" "Shut up!" M.G. was behind him; she went in to kick his head. "Damn!" She missed... "M.G., I'm sorely disappointed." "...!" M.G. took out a knife and started slashing at the hooded man.

"Why does Shizuka have a weapon!?" "I don't know, Mitsu-Mitsu-chan, but I'm gonna go find the others!" "Okay, be careful, Arisato...!" Minako left the area...

"You want to use a weapon, then I'll use weapons of my own." He withdrew his hands from his pockets… He was wearing gloves.

"Let's fight!" M.G. moved in on him. She trusted the knife towards where his heart is. He grabbed her by the wrist. "You're out of your league, woman." M.G. was caught in his grasp. "You need to stop making assessments, right off the bat!" M.G. used her right leg to kick his neck; he caught it. Now she used her left leg to hit up under his chin. He dodges by tilting his head back. "Got you!" "Huh?" M.G. threw her knife past his head. "Not even a scratch." He said with a hint of cockiness. "What the...?" For some reason, the knife was coming back to them. "*Gasp*" The hooded man released her from his grasp. He bent his back down-backward to avoid something.

"Clever girl… You tied some wire to that blade. And I think I don't need to ask how it's not cutting your fingers, right now." "You discern that much. ...This might be a bit tougher than expected."

M.G. began to swing the wire… "As you said before: let's dance!" M.G. was swinging the blade in the enemy's direction. She was using the blade and wire with the intent to kill him. The hooded man sidestepped out of the attacks way and made his way to M.G. She Swung the wire to her left. "Not good enough." He jumped into the air. "Let's keep going. Tarukaja, Sukukaja!" Two different colors surrounded the hooded man now. He landed behind M.G. and began to punch near her head "Sukukaja!" A green light surrounded M.G. She was dodging his punches, but one managed to scratch her face. The hooded man moved behind her in the blink of an eye, and he did something to damage her. "ARGGH!" "M.G.!" She was sent flying back and landed on her back. "Huh!?" The hooded man was in the air, above her, and was descending at an alarming rate. M.G. rolled out of the way… She then switched to a different knife. *Slice* "...!" She hit him! "Nice one!"

"That blade…" The hooded man tor off his left sleeve. "What is he doing?" Fuuka asked as she was coming over to me. "I don't know?" He pressed on the wound and blood gushed out. "Damn, how did you figure out that you were poisoned!?" "Studying - it makes for the perfect practice." "So you studied all the weapons I use." "Had to, or else I wouldn't have known about the poison."

M.G. threw the knife away and she began to reach for something in the remains of her sleeves. M.G. pulled out some wires and began to pump SP into them. "Then you should know this trick as well…" "I think I do." The _SP_ was starting to turn blue and also started getting more spikier around the edges. "Do you know about this, then?" "I do, however, there isn't much info on it. ...And I'm betting you kept it like that." "Maybe, maybe not." M.G. ran towards the enemy… She swiped the electrical wires his way. "Missed, now it's my turn! Black viper…!" A dark-red orb appeared in his hand. He threw it at M.G. "Well, if you want more information on this move, here you go!" She swiped at the ball of almighty energy, and the ball changed direction. "What the…!?" "Such a shame and I thought that ball would destroy my wires. You had me worried." "Let's keep at it, then. ...I might get lucky and destroy them."

He continued to throw orbs at her, and she kept deflecting them. "Think fast!" He threw an orb over to us… "Fuuka, hold on!" I pick Fuuka up and I dodged red orb. "Ha, you think I make M.G. mess up or something like that!" "Just watch…" I saw something coming from the forest… The black orb appeared! "M.G., WATCH OUT!" "Huh!?" This one was faster this time; fast enough for M.G. not to be able to react in time. *Slice* "ARGGH!" "M.G.!" The orb slice her side...

"Diarah- "That won't do…" The hooded man went over to her and kick her at her wound. "ARRGH" "You really need to get yourself under control, Emmy; yeah, I'm a call you that for now on." "Get away from her you bastard!" "What, do not like me doing… THIS!" *CRACK* "AAAAHHHH!" "RAGHHHH!" I ran over to him… "I'LL KICK YOUR ASS!" "Predictable..."

I was coming right at him, and I was using most of Skeith's agility and strength… "That won't be enough, and you know it. Black vi- "We know that…" "Huh!?" I saw wires wrap around the enemy's arms… "You tricked me!" "Of course I did. Although, I can't say the pain wasn't real; but if that's what I need to suffer to win, then I'll gladly live with it." "You little-" "Kazuki, Now!" "I hear ya, M.G.!"

I summoned Skeith to my side. "Kick his ass, Skeith!" Skeith was gearing up to hit the enemy.

"I think it's time to introduce my Persona." A Red aura was forming from the enemy. "Mephisto: Magrava!" When he called out his move, I felt something weighing down on my body.

"(Grunting) What the...shit!?" "What's happening!?" Mitsuru was baffled by what was going on. "Mitsu-chan, don't come any closer! Instead, go find everyone else!" "Ri-Right…!" Mitsuru ran around us to avoid the sudden shift in gravity.

"What are you gonna do now!?" I demanded answers… "I don't know, really… It all depends on one simple factor; a phone call. But although that leaves me with a problem, I'm becoming bored! So I bought this with me…

He threw a sword on the floor. "Hey, that's my-" "I went over to your dorm before coming here, and I have to say this: your security is a joke. ...And honestly, you need to hide your things better."

The gravity around me began to feel lighter. "Pick up your sword." "Why!?" "To kill time, of course. And if you don't, I'll just make the gravity heavier for them until their bodies can't take it anymore." "...Kazuki-kun, don't listen to him!" "Fine... " I pick up my sword and I take a stance. "...Let's do this!"

He was just standing there... *Pip-pip* *Pip-pip* "Oh, that must be mine." The enemy picks up the phone… "Yello? Oh, hey, boss…"

What did he just say!? "The boss?" "That's right, M.G. ...I know the boss, too." M.G. seemed shocked by this fact. "Whatcha need today, boss?" I went over to the enemy and I started slashing at him "Mm-hmm, yep...okay, understood." He was dodging my attack and talking on the phone, at the same time; he's just messing around at this point. "I see… Are you sure? Well, if it's okay with you, then okay. ...Alright, bye." When he got off the phone, he caught my last attack, by closing his phone on my sword, then he lands a blow on my gut.

"ACK!" "Sorry, but it looks like my boredom just died, So... " He pulled out a gem from his pocket. It was glowing purple. I also noticed he was hovering over the ground.

"Yamagishi, how is he levitating like that!?" "He must be using his gravity skill to levitate like that!" The gravity change is still affecting M.G. and Fuuka.

"Hey, stop using your gravity magic on them!" "Fine…" With the snap of the fingers, their center of gravity was restored. "Who are you," M.G. wanted to know. "Hmm… I guess I could say... Your replacement." "WHAT!" "Yep, hell, this was my initiation mission. And the boss even told me that I was satisfactory as your replacement. So, congrats, you aren't a member of the organization anymore. Guess you weren't as sneaky as you thought you were, huh?"

This news seems to have shocked and angered M.G. "Well, this was a fun trip to Yakushima. So sad I'll never be able to see this place in one piece ever again." "How come!" "Cuz, Kazu Kei, I'm gonna destroy this place." "How are gonna do that!? You don't seem strong enough to do that!" "You're right, but these guys are…

He threw the crystal in the air… It began to leak out a purple light, then, the whole thing broke; the purple light was shining brighter than the sun...

"What the hell…!?" "No, they can't be…!" "There-There-There power levels are... Too much!" We were looking up to the air, amazed and horrified by what we're seeing. "Shizuka-chan...are those-" "...Personas, yes, they are! They are Helel and Satan...!"

"Well, you guys, this was fun, but I think this will be the last I see any of you."

The Personas in the air were gearing up for something. "Helel, Satan: Armageddon…" The Persona's were forming some sort of attack on them.

"Kazuki-kun…" Fuuka clung to my arm; her eyes were blank. She was scared beyond belief… "Fuuka, go over to Rin and protect her." "What about you!?" I looked towards the Personas. "Kazuki-kun that's a bad idea! Don't do it…!" "Please go over to Rin and protect her; this could be bad if the both of you don't get any shelter from this." "But Kazuki-kun that's- (Muffled)

I kissed her… "Everything will be alright with you guys. So please, go over to Rin." Fuuka was blushing intensely. But she shocks it off and ran over to M.G. "Lucia!"

Good, Fuuka was protecting Rin. It's time to do this! I ran over to the Personas in the sky... "Kazuki, get over here!" "No can do!" "Kazuki you fool, you'll die if that hits!" "We'll see about that…" "Kazuki, get- Huh, Yamagishi?" "I don't want him to do this either, but we both know how determined he is; once he put his mind to something, it'll be hard to convince him not to." I heard what Fuuka said; I really don't want to be this stubborn, but I feel like I can do something to block this. I just need to use Ocean's stream! If this attack really is linked to how much _SP_ I put into it, then I would be able to reflect it, right?

I began to pump my sword full of _SP,_ Which turned into almighty energy… The Personas finally shot out there attack; it was a stream of almighty energy, and it was gonna come crashing down on me.

*BAM* "(Grunting) Holy...shit!?"

Somewhere on Yakushima, evening

I was looking at the two godly Personas in the sky, from a far away distance from the beach. "Nyarlathotep…" "Yes." He said with a shit-eating grin. "What will that attack due to an island like this?" "It has a great chance of destroying this whole island." "What about me?" "You'll live of course. I need you for greater things!" "Oh…"

I looked down at Kei-chan… "Why does the fool go the extra mile," I said with an annoyed tone in my voice. "Who knows…? Puny minded fools will forever be fools." "..."

Yakushima, beach, Evening

We were still watching Kazuki enduring the attack. Yamagishi said that the attack should have destroyed him. But no, he's still alive, holding off that attack. "(Grunting)" Albeit it looks like he's struggling, but there's something else going on here; something unusual.

"Yamagishi, do you see anything usual happening about Kazuki?" "N-No!" I see, so she doesn't notice. It must be due to all the almighty energy. But I feel it…

At this very moment, he's pouring all his SP into his sword. One would have drained all of their energy by now if they were to use the skill Kazuki is using; Kazuki including... However, that's not happening yet. It's like I said before: people have an untapped amount of energy. But I don't know how much exactly... Also, something else is happening. instead of all his energy running out, it's rising! His power is actually rising; maybe the shadow? Either way, this is a spectacle, to say the least

...

"(Grunting) RAAGHHHHH! OCEAN'S STREAM!" Kazuki did something unexpected... He launched the Armageddon attack back at the two Personas who created it. "What the hell!?" The enemy was surprised by this turn of events.

*Personas screaming* "*Pant* *Pant* *Pant* *Pant* *Pant* Hey, I just destroyed those Personas of yours! You wanna go!" I wanted to finish this one and for all!" "Kazuki, stop it! You aren't in any condition to fight" "She's right, Kazuki-kun! You need to stop!"

They were right… "Well, well, well… Looks like Mr. Kazuki is more than he appears to be… As much as I want to see how he ticks, I must make my leave." He began to walk on the air like it's nothing...

"Target sighted, now activating Orgia mode!" "Huh?" When I look over to where that voice was coming from, they have already jumped meters into the air. "Aigis!" I yelled out. Aigis was glowing a bit; oh shit, don't tell me she's trying to blow herself up too! "Palladion: Kill rush!" She tries to shot him and do some physical damage to him, but that was a fruitless attempt. "Magrava." "Crap, she got caught in it!" "What is this!? I cannot move!?" "Gravity magic, blah, blah, blah. So basically, this… With the flick of his wrist, he sent Aigis flying into a small bridge.

Crash* *Splash* "Well, that was boring..." He began to move away from the island… "Oh, before I go, I have a question for you, Emmy." "What is it?" "Why are you wasting time with these people, and why did you waste all your time with him?" M.G. didn't say anything. "Rin-chan, are you okay?"

The hooded man gave out a heavy sigh, loud enough to hear on ground level. "You know what, how about this: You sit on it for a while, and then you get back to me on it, okay."

He turned around in a theatric way. "Welp, it's been fun; sayonara..." He then flew away from the island…

Fuuka ran over to me. "Kazuki-kun...are you okay?" I stick up my left thumb. "Do you need help standing up?" "No, I'm just fine." Fuuka threw herself into me, and we both fell to the ground. "Fu-Fuuka?" "You dummy!" "Huh?" "You worried me! You promised me that I wouldn't need to worry about you anymore! Why did you have to do that, I thought you were gonna die…!

I didn't move at all, I just let her go on. And she began to sob a little. I put my hand on her head and I began rubbing her head. "I was an idiot for thinking that would work." "You're right about that!"

Nothing else was said. We just stood in the same position, quietly… "Fu-chan…" "Yeah…" "I'm such a hypocrite." "What makes you say that?" "...I'll tell you why, when we're back in our room." "Okay."

"Fuuka-san, get away from him!" "Huh?" I looked over to the broken bridge. Aigis was coming over to us. She had her guns ready. "Aigis, stop it! He isn't a threat!" "...I detect that he is one, so, therefore, he is one…

Fuuka walked in front of me… "If you think he is a threat, then… I'm a threat too!" "Fuuka, what are you doing!?" "Defending you." "...You don't need to do that!" "You'd do the same for me; so why not for you!"

I couldn't argue back. Wow, she had me beat… "Fine then, in that case…" I got up and I stood next to her. "...I can't let take the spotlight yet, now can I?" I was ready to fight, but truth be told, I was exhausted.

"It cannot be helped. Then you are my enemy as well…" Aigis had her guns pointed at us, but we didn't move an inch. Although Fuuka was shaking a bit, she didn't move at all.

Stab* *Stab* *Stab* "What the…!?" I saw a bunch of knives fly around Aigis's arms. "Why are you getting in my way?" "Because, you're gonna hurt the person that very well saved us, and an innocent person who didn't do anything wrong to anyone."

Aigis didn't move her arms at all… "If I were to shoot, you would pull back with the wire in your hand." "Yes…" Aigis looked at the wires. "They can always be rebuilt." "...!" "Yamagishi, your Persona!" "I can't summon it now." "Damn! Kazuki…!" "Sorry, Fuuka, but-" "It's okay, I trust Rin-chan with your life." "Wow, you make me sound like I can't handle myself. But I know what you mean, thanks…

I walked over to M.G. "Let's do this, M.G.!" "Kazuki, can you just call me Rin." "Why?" "You'll need to start calling me that from now on." "Um, okay… Let's go, Rin!" "Let's!"

Aigis was ready to go, and so were we…

"AIGIS, STOP THIS IMMEDIATELY!" "Huh, Kirijo?" "Mitsu-chan!?" M.G. and I were surprised to see her right now. "Aigis, what are you doing!?" "Eliminating the threat." "What threat!?" "The one in front of me." "Shizuka and Kazuki?"

Mitsuru rubbed her temples… "Aigis, this is a new directive: You will not harm Kazuki, or anyone you deem threat-worthy, other than shadows, and opposing Persona users that I confirm are threats! ...Is this understood?" "Yes…" Aigis withdrew her weapons, and M.G. went over to Aigis to cut the wires around her arms.

"Heeey, Kazu…!" "Hmm?" I look behind me to find everyone else come out from the forest.

"Kei, what's going on!?" "Kei-kun, Fuuka, Rin... Are you guys okay!?" "Yes, we're okay Yukari-chan." Yuka-chan sounded relieved to hear that, and so was everyone else. I was happy to see them unharmed...

"But where were you guys?" I really wanted to know why they didn't just come here, right away. "We were attacked by monsters in the forest," Kio said with a straight face. "Shadows?" "No, they looked different than shadows; they were more coordinated than shadows, too." An enemy that's smarter than a shadow, and it's not even the Dark Hour...

"Hey, guys, look…!" I looked to where Junpei was pointing to… There was a ship in the sea. "It's the boat." I went over to Fuuka… "You okay?" "Yes, I'm okay." "Oh, good then."

Fuuka was blushing and fidgeting a bit. "Um, I think my leg is sprained though!" "But you said you were okay? ...And your standing." "...But, my leg!" "*Sigh* Fine…" I picked Fuuka up - bridal style.- "Kazuki-kun…" "Yep." " Thank you for saving us." "No problem…"

I kissed her on the cheek and she began to blush. "Wait, why is Kazu holding Fuuka like that?" "Well, Stupei, the thing about that is…" Yuka-chan told Jun about 'us'." "WHAT…!"

?, Unknown,?

I was walking to the main hall of our hideout.

"Yo, I'm home. And I bring some news. "That's good, what is it?" "Where's the big man?" "He told me to see you personally, for him." "Oh, alright, might as well. ...I confirmed that one of the anti-shadow units activated on the island." "How many?" 'One." "I see. Anything else?" "...I also had a run in with Kazuki." "..." "I was surprised at what he did with the Armageddon attack." "What happened?" "...He deflected it back at the two Personas." "Really..." 'You seem interested." "I am intrigued, somewhat." "Eh, whatever you say."

*Buzzing* "Looks like we are being summoned." "Yeah, looks that way." We began to make our way to the gathering place.

"Oi, Sadao." "What?" "He also had yellow glowing eyes when I pissed him off a bit." "Is that so?" "Yep." Sadao looked like was pondering on what I told him. "I see now, I'll relay this to the head." "Cool, on that note, let's get going." "Yes..." We made way to the gathering place...

"Kei Kazuki, he seems like a kid I like to fight against. What about you?" "He doesn't matter to me at all..." "Cool, then he's mine."

...

"You bitches aren't gonna land a single hit on him!" I drove my fist into the palm of my hand. "...Cuz he's mine!

 **Thanks to the power of Google docs, I was able to do this chapter with ease! (Sort of...) But seriously though, this chapter was not as hard to type down than I initially thought it would be. But on a bigger note, I was finally able to have Rin-chan's fight seriously in this story. Now as you might have seen in this chapter, Rin fights more strategically than any other character in this whole story; like for example: with the piano wire being tied with the knife, and yes, I know piano wire cannot kill a human being, but can only make a hole in you. But I thought "Why not, right." Also, I like to point out that Rin-chan wears her bodysuit under her clothes because she likes to be prepared at all times. (Except when she was wearing her bathing suit because she doesn't want people seeing her with all that equipment.) Also, for reference, let tell you what she wears for the summer. She wears her bodysuit under her clothes, but she wears a skirt with a checkers patterned design, of copper red and black. And for the top, she wears an all-white buttoned t-shirt, with her bodysuit sleeves sticking out. And that goes over her summer wear... Now finally, yes, I started a new series - Persona 4: reversed. Let me just say one thing about it before finishing up here; it won't be as long as this fanfic will be, but I'm gonna put the effort and the careful typing, I should have put for this story at first. And as a fact: I'm gonna go back and clean-up all the mistakes I made from my earlier chapters of this fanfic after I upload this chapter and the next chapter for Reversed. So with that all being said, please follow the story if you wanna be notified when I upload and leave what you thought about this chapter, past ones, and future chapters. So until the next chapter; see ya...**


	28. The fifth full-moon

7/24 Fri, Tartarus, Floor 70 Dark Hour

I was breathing intensely as I was trying to fend off these attacks that were coming towards my direction...

 _"Kazuki-kun, watch out!" "_ Huh!?" I was looking at my 12 as I saw something coming towards my face; a fist! "Rukukaja!" As I was buffed with a defense skill, I blocked with my sword to lessen the damage. "GAAAHH!' None the less, the impact was still painful... "Thanks, Junpei!" "No sweat!" Junpei was caught off guard taking in the compliment. "Junpei, look out!" "Huh?" A giant shadow punched Junpei on one half of his body. "ARGGHH!" Junpei was sent flying, and he was in intense pain.

"Shit, Yukari, heal him!" "On it!" "Aigis, follow my lead!" I shall not obey." "Aigis, please, I need your help! We need to work together as a team!" _"Aigis, listen to Kazuki, He is field leader."_ Mitsuru butted-in to help. "As you command, Mitsuru-san..."

Aigis was running behind me with her weapons drawn. "Aigis, sync up!" "Roger." I began to do my summoning process while Aigis did her own... "Skeith!" "Palladion!" Both of our Personas were flying in towards the enemy. "Fuuka, I need your insight!" _"On it...!"_ Our Personas hit one of the shadows; Skeith was punching and Palladion was using Kill rush. "The attack was a failure," I said with some aggression.

 _"Everyone, the weakness is ice attacks!"_ "Aigis hit em with this...!" I threw a block of contained ice. "When I give the signal, throw it!" "Understood...' I had my sword drawn and ready. "Oi, everyone gets out of the way!" I was gonna use Ocean's stream on these wrestler-looking shadows. _"Kazuki-kun, are you sure about using that!?"_ "It'll be fine." _"If you say-so."_ I charged my attack, and the shadows were heading for me...

"Aigis, now!" Aigis threw the ice cube at the enemy, resulting in her hitting all the enemies. _"Kazuki-kun has an opening! Everyone, get out of the way of Kazuki-kun's attack!"_ Everyone, as instructed, got out of the way. I wasn't gonna waste any time, so I was gonna launch it off until...

"GAAHHH" **"Hey~, mind if I butt in for a bit?"** "Yes!" **"Aww, you suck, Kazu-chan."** "Be quiet!" _"Kazuki-kun, what's wrong!?"_ **"Yeah, Kazuki-kun, what's wrong?"** With all the willpower I can muster, I was holding back the thing in my head. "Nothing is wrong!" And without trying to drag this out, I used ocean's stream on the enemy...

"*Pant* *Pant* *Pant*" All the shadows seem to have been destroyed. "Fuuka, did that do it?" _"Yes, the shadows are_ eliminated." "Oh thank god..." I was panting like crazy. Every time I took a breath, my head would spin out of control.

 _"Kazuki-kun, are you okay?"_ "Yeah, I'm fine." I'm far from fine right now, but I didn't want to worry her. "Whoa, how did you do that Kazu!?" "I just can." "Is that all there is to it," Yuka-chan said as if I'm lying. "Yeah, nothing major..." Yeah, nothing my ass." "You say something Jun?" "Nothing."

I started walking for the transporter... I looked at the damage I did to this floor, only for it to be repaired. like it never happened.

The lobby of Tartarus, Dark Hour

We all transported back to the lobby, I was still kinda dizzy from using up _SP_... "Welcome back, leader," Minako chimed. "Hey, Kei, you look exhausted." Yukari points out. "Yeah, you wouldn't believe how tired I am." I yawned loud enough to make an echo. "I'm sorry, Kazuki, but we need to save those people stuck inside of Tartarus," Mitsu-chan said as she started moving for the staircase. "Arisato, Akihiko, and Shizuka, all of you are on me." Shizuka isn't an official member yet. However, she revealed that she was a Persona user while we were on the boat. She had no choice but to. What is she doing here? Well, she told Mitsu-chan that whenever we were going to Tartarus, I would inform her; and inform her I did. "Finally, some action," Kio said while he drove his hand into his other hand. "At least Akihiko-senpai is hyped." Kio seemed excited from what I see, but Minako... I just can't get a proper read on her anymore.

"Kazuki-kun, over here." I walked over to Fuuka when she called me over. "Yo." "Are you sure you are okay?" "Yeah, I'm totally fine! Although, I am tired..." "Then, do want to sleep inside of Lucia for a bit?" "Sure." When I entered inside Fuuka's Persona, I was surrounded by a relaxing feeling. "Are you comfortable Kazuki-kun?" "Mm-hmm, I'm feeling great!" There is something about being inside Fuuka's Persona that makes you feel so much better.

"*Yawn* Goodnight, Fu-chan..." "I'll wake you up when it's time to leave." "Okay..." I laid down on the floor trying to find the perfect spot for me to rest on...

7/25 Sa, Iwatodai Dormitory, Kazuki/Fuuka's room, Early in the morning

I was awoken by a weird sound... When I opened my eyes, and all I saw was Kazuki-kun's face. "Nothing out of the ordinary." I was ready to fall back to sleep until... *Glass moving* "Huh?" I pick my head up from the bed to see who's here. "What the...?" I saw the intruder... But what made me more surprised than anything else was the person inside of our room.

"(Hushed) Shizuka-chan, what are you doing here?" "Oh...hi." I was staring at her with a surprised expression on my face. Shizuka had a bottle in her hand. "Can you pretend that I was never here?" "You're raiding our fridge!" "Not necessarily." "Then how would you describe it!?" "...As borrowing from a neighbor." "Huh, what do you mean by that?" I looked up where Shizuka was pointing to. The roof had an open hole in it. "When did you make that hole?" "I didn't make it, I moved it." "You moved a roof tile!" "Yes." Wait, why did she go through the roof if she is capable pick-lock the door...?

"Shizuka-chan, why did you enter through the roof?" "I live up there." "WHAT!?" "Of course I was, you didn't notice?" "NO!?" "Good, because I was kidding..."

I felt a sort of a headache coming in... This was really confusing to me.

"Why are you here anyway?" "...To get a drink." "There are vending machines outside." "Cost money to get a drink from those." "..." I am too tired for this. "Shizuka-chan, I'm too tired for this. Can we pick this up after school tomorrow?" "Fine.."

Shizuka then climbs back up into the roof and takes the tile up with her. "Night," Shizuka says as she fits the tile back into place. I put my head back into place after she went back into the roof. Kazuki was still asleep - he must be really tired after fighting in Tartarus. I got closer to Kazuki-kun and I closed my eyes...

Gekkoukan high, class 2-E, after school

I was so exhausted to the point where I wasn't able to move my body like I usually am able to... "Kazuki, we need to head back to the dorm." "Why for?" "For training." "Oh...really, because-" "Drink this then." M.G. threw energy drink my way. "An energy drink...?" "Yes, it helps you with your fatigue. Plus, it's good for your health." "Umm...thanks. That's awfully considerate of you."

I got my things together, and I made my way to the exit of the class. "Wait, I was waiting for Fuuka to come back here." I told her to meet us at the entrance of the school." "Oh, let's go then." We both made our leave for the entrance...

"So, where are we training?" "You'll see."

Iwatodai dormitory, rooftop, Evening

It's been a couple of hours since we came up to the roof and began sparring... "All right, let's take a break." "Finally!" Kazuki plopped himself onto the floor with sweat dripping from his body... "Are you okay to go another round?" "Yeah, as soon as I'm feeling better." "...Then I might as well take a break as well." I sat down on the floor, too. "Rin..." "Yeah." "I feel like I made improvements, do you think so, too?" "Well... You still need to improve your combat abilities, but you are making improvements, I'll give you that." "Really, thanks." Although, he isn't improving on what I want him to... Getting that shadow under control. If he isn't able to control it soon, things will get worse. I need to tell him the truth about the shadow inside him...

"Kazuki, you-" "Excuse me, Kazuki-san, Shizuka-san." "Amada!?" "Oh, Ken..." Amada, apparently he had been moved to this dorm after Ikutsuki had informed Kirijo that he was a Persona-user; although, he doesn't know anything about the shadows.

"You need something Amada?" "I was gonna ask how you take your coffee." "Why?" "I think he's making coffee for you." "Huh, no, I just wanted to know how adults take their coffee." "Yeah, but you don't want to drink what she drinks." "Why?" "Let's just say...she's weird." "Oh, I see... Okay." I increased the intensity of my stare that I was giving him before. "But, I would take it with sugar and cream." "That's for children," Amada replied. "But it's so good!" Amada seems too conflicted by Kazuki's response.

"Drink it black." "Huh?" "Drink it black and you'll be drinking coffee the way you want to." "Oh, thank you Shizuka-san." "Your welcome." Amada then makes his leave, but not before asking something else. "Oh, why are you guys up here anyway?" "(Kazuki and Shizuka) Nothing..."

8/6 Thu, Dark Hour, Weapons Depot

Tonight was the night of the operation. We all went to where Fuuka said she found the shadow. The trail ran cold at an old weapons Depot; this would be cool if I didn't know what they were for...

 **"Ohhh, I feel them..."** "Them?" **"THEM!"** I felt like the shadow was trying to force it's way for control again. "To hell with you! You aren't gaining control!" **"I can take control whenever I want! ...But I'll do it when something interesting happens."** I was enraged by the gull of this thing...

"Looks like all the guest are here..." "Huh?" I turned around to the entrance to find two others there. "Who are you?" "How did they slip past Lucia's web?" They somehow slipped past Fuuka's Persona; they must have the ability to hide their presence like M.G. can...

"Why do you wish to end the Dark Hour?" "What!?" How do you know about the Dark Hour?" "Why don't you use that pretty head of yours for a change." "Wait, don't tell me..." Mitsuru arrives at the conclusion that I arrived at as well...

"Tell me, do you all wish to return to your boring and pathetic lives...?" Everyone seems to have been affected by that question. (Except for M.G.) "I don't enjoy this one bit," Fuuka said with her head down.

Screw these guys! I ran towards them... "You're the first idiot to try and fight us, huh...?" The kid with blue hair readied himself for me. "Come here, then!" I summoned Skeith to my side... "That's nothing! Moros!" He put an Evoker to his head and pulled the trigger. *BANG* An Agi spell was heading my way. I cut it in half, but that was only the tip of the iceberg. *Thump* "UGH!" "Kazuki-kun!" The kid closed the distance between us after he cast the Agi spell, and he was ready to kick me below the chin. "Well, that was boring." "I ain't finished yet!" "Well, looks like we have a fighter here..." The shirtless man brought out a gun. "This is your salvation..." **"Summon, summon, summon, SUMMON!"** I summoned Skeith out of annoyance. "What a joke, Hypnos..." He summoned his Persona without an Evoker; it looked like he forced it out. A Garu spell was heading my way. I sidestepped to my left, and I made my way to them again.

"I think our time is up," The shirtless man said "Yeah looks like you're gonna be busy for a bit. But we'll leave you with this..." The two were surrounded by red _SP_. "Combination attack: Fire Dome!" They both used different spells like Garu and an Agi spell... The flames started to surround me like it had a mind of its own.

"Kazuki!" I heard everyone's voices while they summoned their Personas...

 **"Oh my god, you had your chance, and you blew it... So it's my turn to pick up your slack..."** "No, wait!"

...

Everyone is trying their best to rid the flames around him...

 **"It's summer, you shouldn't be making it hotter than it already is, ass hat!"** "Huh?" "Was that Kei-kun," Yukari-chan asked. "No, everyone, get away, now," Shizuka-chan yelled out in a commanding way.

 **"Let me just get rid of THIS!"** Kazuki-kun destroyed the dome around him with the flick of his wrist. **"There, much better."** He began to sweep off the dust from his shoulders. "How did you survive that!?" **"That puny-ass attack couldn't hurt someone like me."** "Then how about this...!" The boy with blue hair summoned his Persona again to cast a Mudo spell... **"Get that weak shit outta here!"** He broke the circle in front of him like it was nothing." "Takaya, this guy isn't going down!" "I see that Jin..." The one named Takaya shot a couple bullets in Kazuki-kun's way. "That should do it. Such a miserable end, but all well..." **"Do you really think it's over?"** He stood up and he let go bullets he caught."What are you," Takaya asked with finger still on the trigger. **"A God!"** In the blink of an eye, Kazuki-kun bolted towards Takaya and grabbed a hold of his face. **"Go for a little ride..."** He went over to Jin and threw Takaya at him. "UGH!" **"Thunder Reign!"** I was familiar with that spell... "Shizuka-chan!" "I know... It's 'him'." The Zio skill hits the two, and in turn, they both started screaming out in pain.

"When was Kei ever able to do that?" "I don't know?" Mitsuru-senpai and Akihiko-senpai were confused by the new abilities that Kazuki-kun is using. "The threat level has increased to the maximum! I will have to take action!" Aigis was gearing up to fight...

 **"You bastards tried to roast me raw, now, you bitches get to feel the burn!"** Kazuki-kun's hand was being lit on fire... **"Time to die! Infern-"** "Orgia mode!" Aigis was zooming through us, to Kazuki-kun. "Kill rush!" **"Bitch, you just fucked up!"** He blocks Aigis's attack with one-hand, and he kicks her to the side. **"You goddamn losers beat it! ...This robotic bitch is mine!"** "You are a thr-" **"Shut the hell up!"** He cast a Zio spell again; he knew that was her weakness. "Dodge successful." **"Don't be so sure of that."** He began to throw lightning at Aigis and she was dodging them.

"What the...?" I felt something coming moving away from our position. "Everyone, the shadow is getting farther away from our position!"

Mitsuru-senpai stood in front of all of us. "Everyone, I don't know what's going on, but right now we need to fight the shadow!" "(Everyone) Right." "Arisato, can you help Aigis?" "On it..." Minako seemed like she didn't care one bit for this. "Kazuki... You want to someone worth a damn, then fight me." The shadow lets go of Aigis's neck and he paid more attention to Minako. **"You're a real cocky, for a chick."** "Cocky, I could kill you if I wanted to." **"Sure you could ..."**

He darted right over to Minako... "Brave blade." Minako's Persona had hit the shadow on the shoulder. **"ARGGHH!** **Not bad... You know what, let's fight for a bit longer!"**

Minako Tries to stab the shadow with her spear... "Shoot Meruga." She threw her spear at him, but he dodged out of the way. **"Your aim sucks!"** "..." She was just smiling, and I know why she is... **"Time to wring that neck of yours!"** *Thud* He had her pinned to the ground, with his hand on her neck. **"So motionless, why is that?"** "Look behind you and you'll see." He turned around to find the spear ripping through the sky, to his side. *Slice* **"AHHH! You son of a bitch!"** He then slammed her to the floor and he jumped in midair just to stomp on her solar plexus. "ACK!" **"Hurts doesn't it bitch!"** "Vorpal blade!" Slashes were traveling around Kazuki-kun and cutting him up. **"Shit!"** He caught the Persona's sword and used it to destroy her Persona. "Damn it!" **"Not as confident as you were before?"** "You haven't seen anything yet!" **"I did, and I have to say: it was boring."**

Minako's hand start to spark... "Here...!" She placed her hands on his neck and began to electrocute him. **"ARRGGH!"** I was watching Kazuki-kun get electrified. I was worried about Kazuki-kun, but the person who's talking with his voice isn't him...

"Yamagishi, we encountered the shadow!' " _Okay, Mitsuru-senpai, I'll try to support you the best I can."_ " _No need; I'll be providing support for this enemy... Just help Arisato."_ "Okay." I was conflicted for what I should do...

"You gonna do anything Kazuki?" **"(Grunting) I'll kill you!"** "Cute..." She was still electrocuting him. But when she wasn't looking, he put his hand on her head and he cast a Garu spell... "Look out!" "AHHHHH!" **"You feeling it now, bitch!"** Minako was bleeding by the ear. She hits him in the face with the butt of her spear. **"Son of a whore!"** "Ziodyne!" Lightning came crashing down above Kazuki-kun's head. **"I ain't pathetic to get hit by that!"** Kazuki-kun used his sword to redirect the lightning to the other side of the room. **"Petty, now then, let's have some fun..."** He then drives his fist to her gut. "UGH!" **"Not done yet..."** He turns her around to face the wall, and he then slams her face into the wall over and over again. "You hit like a bitch." **"Say whatever you like because..."** The shadow threw her to the ground and raised his foot above her left hand. *Thump* *Crack* "AHHHHHH!" **"My mistake, did I break some of your fingers?"** He was smiling while he was watching her grip her hand tightly... I can't let this go on.

"Stop this!" "Huh" **"What did you just say to me!?"** "I said stop!" **"Well look at you, thinking you're tough. ...Let's change that."** He started walking towards me. He was swinging his sword to intimidate me. "I'm not scared of you!" " **Sure you aren't. I'm pretty sure you aren't scared that you have to wait until I kill you while I wear your boyfriend like a meat bag,"** He was trying to get a rise out of me, but I won't give him the satisfaction. **"Say somethin' will ya!"** "He'll come back, I know it!" **"Screw this, time for me to finish what I started..."** He slashed his sword in my direction... "Tetrakarn!" A shield surrounded me and the attack that was heading my way was reflected back to the shadow. **"ARGGGHHH"** The attack reflected back to him with the amount of force he put into it.

 **"You little bitch!"** "Tricked you." He was bleeding from his chest... "Do you get it, I'm better than you." **"You want to see better, I'll show you better!"** He began to swing the blade around... **"Prepare your ass!"** He was hitting Minako with the blade, and she was blocking his attacks with her Persona.

 **"Thunder Reign!"** "Ziodyne!" The two electrical attacks collided and released electrical waves of energy throughout the area. " _Yamagishi, what is happening up there!?"_ "Minako and Kazuki-kun are battling it out!" _"What is wrong with Kazuki!?" "_ I...don't know... I'm sorry" _"It's okay, we're almost done here anyway."_ "Okay, I'll continue to support Minako!"

In the lower part of the weapons depot, Dark Hour

I was in the process of healing both Iori and Sanada. I saw Takeba and Kirijo holding there own against the two shadows... "Shizuka I need to ask a favor of you!" "That would be...?" "I need you to back up to where Kazuki and Yamagishi are!" "Will you all be fine on your own?" "We fought in worse conditions than this. So go," Sanada told me with all the confidants he could muster.

"All right, just be careful!" "We will," Takeba told me while firing off a Garu spell. I nod my head and I began to run for the upper levels. I need to hurry before Kazuki destroys the whole mine...

Back at the top of the weapon depot, Dark Hour

The battle between Minako and Kazuki was still going on... The depot was starting to crumble.

 **"You getting tired yet?"** "Not really." **"Then let me amp this up a notch!"** He began to pour out _SP_ into his sword... **"Let's aim for that other eye."** "Screw you, asshole!" Minako pulled back here spear, readying herself to throw it. "The both you need to stop this!" **"Or what? You gonna do something about it, huh!?"** I couldn't respond, I didn't know what to say. **"That's what I thought..."**

The shadow was ready to shoot out the energy he was storing. **"The show is about to come to an end."** "I know, so let's make sure we end this in a fashionable way." **"Preaching to the damn cho** -" Out of nowhere, someone was behind Kazuki-kun. **"Who the hell!"** He tried to swing the sword at the hooded person behind him, but he stopped it with his own blade. "Yare yare daze, why do I have to deal with this...?" **"Who the hell are you!?"** "Does that really?" **"No, it doesn't! Because, when I'm done with you, you won't be recognizable!"** "Try then..."

The shadow was swinging Kazuki-kun's sword at him, but he was just casually dodging the attacks. "You're putting me to sleep..." **"Then this should wake you up... Thunder Reign!"** The thunderbolt came crashing down on top of the hooded man's head at full force.

 **"Hahaha, how was that, gratifying enough for you?"** "If that was your best, then color me unimpressed." **"What?"**

The new arrivals hoodie was torn, so I was able to get a good look at his face. "Damn, I just snagged that hoodie too. All well, it's not like I bought it, anyway." The man who endured the attack had brown hair and a pair of goggles were sitting on his forehead.

"You gonna sit there all night, or are we gonna get this over?" **"You think you can match up to me!?"** "...Sure do." **"RAGGGHH!"** The shadow lunged towards goggles wearing man. "Sukukaja..." A green aura was surrounding him...

The shadow was moving faster than he was before; I don't think a Sukukaja spell will be able to help him. **"Prep yourself, bitch!"** "Kid, you really need to calm down" The goggles wearing man disappeared... **"Where in the-"** *Thumb* In an instant, the goggles man was behind Kazuki-kun, and he did something to knock him out.

*Thud* "Kazuki-kun!" He was on the floor, motionless. "What did you do to him?" "Don't worry little lady, I just hit the back of his neck with the back of my blade; he'll wake up eventually. Plus, when he does wake up, he'll be the guy you know." "Really!?" "Yup..."

He began to walk towards the exit of the mine. "Wait!" "Yeah?" I bowed my head. "Thank you! Thank you for helping him!" "You don't have to thank me, just make sure he doesn't let that thing take control again; it might prove fatal..." Those words alone froze me up a bit.

"Well, goodbye." He sticks his hand in his pocket and started to walk away.

"Wait, who are you," Minako asked, "Whoa, what's up with the eye patch?" "Answer the damn question!" "Jeez, alright, fine... I'm **Brown** , nice to meet ya." After saying that, he disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Brown...? That's not a real damn name!" I put my knees to the ground right next to his head, and I put his head on them.

"Is everyone all right?" I looked behind me to find Shizuka-chan behind us all. "Rin is everyone else all right!?" "Yes...they are. What happened to Kazuki?" "Someone came in here and knocked him out for me." "Someone who was able to overwhelm him..."

Shizuka-chan thought about what Minako just told her. "Yamagishi, summon Lucia." "Okay."

I summoned Lucia and I began to check up on everyone else. _"They seem to be coming back up here."_ "That means they won." When Shizuka stated that, I was relieved...

I put away Lucia and I just watched Kazuki-kun sleep... "I wasn't able to do anything again..."

Iwatodai dormitory, Kazuki/Fuuka's room, late at night

When we got back, Akihiko-senpai put Kazuki-kun on the bed. "Thank you senpai." "No problem. but, what the hell happened to him?" "I...don't know." "I see. Well, just make sure it doesn't happen again." "Okay." He left the room without saying anything else...

"Are you okay, Yamagishi?" I turned around to find Shizuka-chan at our doorway. "Yes, I'm all right." "Good..."

She was staring at Kazuki-kun... I was thinking about something while we were making our way back here.

"Shizuka." "Is something the matter?" "I need a favor from you." "Depends. What is it...?" I ball up my hand. "I need to be able to protect Kazuki-kun in battle." "Yamagishi, I'm afraid I can't teach you how to fight effectively since your Persona-" "I didn't mean how to fight, but how I can improve my Persona. I need to be more useful!"

Shizuka-chan didn't say anything after that... "Fine, I'll help you make your Persona more support oriented ." "Thank you." "But first..." She looked over at Kazuki-kun again. "...We need to get the shadow out of the way first."

 **This chapter was kinda all over the place in some aspects, but whatever, right...? Anyway, as always, follow the series if you want to know when a chapter has been uploaded, and leave what you thought about this chapter, chapters before, and future chapters. As all ways, until the next chapter; see ya...**

 **New note: I have updated all the chapters during the time I wasn't uploading any new chapters. But, I didn't just make corrections, I added more things to the chapters, new scenarios. For example, I changed how the fight on the monorail went. So, if you're curious, I suggest reading the chapters over again. (I did make major changes to the dialogue in this fic, so that's another reason to go back.) With that being said, I hope you enjoyed this, and the other chapters to come.**


	29. The impacting truth

8/7 Fri, Iwatodai Dormitory, Kazuki/Fuuka's room, Morning

My eyes were starting to open up a little… I felt something on my head.

"What the hell…?" I took the object that was lying on my head. …A rag? Was I running a fever?

I looked towards the floor. "Why is the Futon rolled out?" I got out of bed and I began to walk for the door…

*Door opening* "Kazuki-kun, you're awake!" "Of course I am. But why am I in our room?" "You don't remember?" "Remember what?" I felt like I knew what she was talking about, but at the same time, I didn't.

"Kazuki-kun... you don't need to know." "Fuuka, what happened last night? Fuuka…!" I grab a hold of her hand… "What happened?" "…" "Fuuka, please, tell me." It got quiet real quick. I was getting some sort of feeling in my chest.

"That 'thing' took control again." "…!" I felt my heart skip a beat when she just said. That 'thing' took the wheel again.

"Fuuka, did I hurt you!?" "No, but… You crushed Minako's fingers." I felt another beat skip in my heart. Why did he do that, why does he want to do that!?

I went out the door without saying another word. On my way out, I saw Minako...

"Hey, Mina—" "Get away from me!" I felt the icy demand she hurled my way. I looked down at the floor, trying to figure out how to say sorry to her.

"Kazuki-kun, it's-" "Don't come near me…" I was afraid of what I was capable of now. I didn't want to hurt Fuuka, so I did the only thing I knew what to do - being alone.

I walked out of the dorm by myself to be by myself…

Gekkoukan high, Roof, Morning

Everyone on the team was avoiding me again. I would know because I saw Junpei on my way here and he ignored me. This is like the time I threatened to hurt them if Fuuka joined the team.

"This sucks! Why the hell does this keep happening!? …Why me!?" I began to try and get that 'things' attention. "Oi, do you hear me!? Answer me, you bastard! Just what are you…!?" Nothing, no response. "Why don't you answer now, huh!?" "Kazuki, calm yourself." "Huh?"

I saw M.G. leaning between the doorway. Why is she even her, and how did she know I was here? "What is it, you gonna tell me how I should suck it up and pretend as if that 'thing' taking over never happened!" "No, I wasn't, but now I'm just going to tell you that you have no reason to raise your voice at me!" "…" "You calmed down?" "Yeah, sorry." "It's alright."

M.G. went over to the fence and leaned on it. "You're feeling terrible, aren't you?" "…Like shit." I couldn't shake the feeling I was feeling all day. "M.G." "Yes." "Why is this happening to me?" "…" "You know something I don't, do you?" "…" "Tell me, please! I just want the straight truth for once from you!…"

M.G. wasn't saying anything…

"...There is a shadow inside you." "What!?" "A shadow, there is one inside you." "What does that mean?" "…The shadow lies dormant in your soul." "That makes no sense! I thought shadows were monsters!?" "Here's the thing: shadows aren't just monsters, but the lower part of the human psyche." "Really? How do you know this?" "…From my old leader."

I was still confused by what she told me. More importantly… "So what, I'm a monster? Some sort of freak!?" I was shaking at the mere thought of me actually being a freak of this world.

"Kazuki, why are you concerned about this?" "Why not, I'm not normal! But what does it matter, you don't really care, right?" "Kazuki, wait…!"

I was moving towards the door… "Kazuki!" M.G. grabbed my shoulder… "Let go." "Make me." "Fine!"

I tried to elbow her, but she blocked it. She then bent my arm, straight, then, she kicked the back of mine. "ARRGH!" She then jumped in the air and grabbed a hold of both sided of my neck with her legs, and she flipped me to my back while she turned her body in midair. *Thud* "AGGHH!" "You wanted to fight me, right! Well, here you go!"

She let's go of my arm and she got off from the ground. "This was a waste of my time. I'm going…" She opened the door leading off the roof. "Kazuki, learn how to open up to people more, or else you'll end up all alone..." With that being said, she closed the door behind herself. Leaving me all alone on the roof…

"Shit!"

Iwatodai dormitory, Roof, evening

I came to the roof to find Kazuki all by himself… Thinking back on what I said earlier; it was too harsh. ...Even for me…

"Kazuki." "Oh, hey…" He was lying down on the floor, twisting his hair. "Are you okay." "Yeah, just fine." I went over to him and I sat next to him, but three feet away.

"Listen, Kazuki…" "Yeah?" "…I'm sorry." "For what?" "For saying what I said on the rooftop earlier this morning." "…But you were right." "Still, I—" "It's alright, I don't blame you…" He stood up and was starting to look at the sky…

"I'm sorry for what happened Rin. I didn't really want to hit you." "It's okay." I was looking at the sky too…

"When I was growing up, my life wasn't easy. I had people treat me like I was some sort of monster; I hated it so badly. …I thought deep down I really wasn't. Turns out I was wrong… Turns out I am a freak."

I listened to his story about what his life was like in Mikage-cho… It was not what I pictured his life to be like in is own hometown. "Now you know the whole story." "Such a tragedy…" "That's why I freaked out when you said I had a shadow in me; I thought I really was one." It makes sense now. "When I came to Port island, it felt like a dream. I was happy to be here with Fuuka, you, and everyone else in the team." "…Why me though?" "You're one of my friends." "Oh…" I never thought he saw me as a friend.

"Rin." "Yes?" "What do I do now that I know I have a shadow living inside me? It's okay if you don't know." "Did you honestly think I told you this so you wouldn't be able to do anything about this." "Huh?"

I stand up on my feet and I look at Kazuki… "There is something we could do to help you with your shadow problem." "Really!?" "Yes, but it will be quite dangerous. And it can even get you killed." Kazuki didn't say anything, he just sat there quietly.

"If that's the case, then yeah, I'll do it!" I had a smirk on my face. I knew he was up for the challenge...

"Alright, then we're gonna need Yamagishi for this." "Why?" "She's able to cross into people's souls. So wouldn't one say she's able to do the same for others?" "…Alright then, but let's do this after a certain day." "That would be…" "The summer festival." "That's fine."

I saw Kazuki put a hand towards me. "Mind giving me a hand up? My leg is kinda injured after our little fight." "Sure." I gave him a hand up and we made our way off the roof.

Iwatodai dormitory, Kazuki/Fuuka's room, evening

I was standing in front of my own room, nervous to even enter. "Come on, Kei. Just open the door and you're good..."

My hand was shaking when I put the key in the hole. When I opened the door, walked into the room to find Fuuka sitting on the bed and looking the manga series she's still reading.

"Kazuki-kun!" "Hey." She put the manga down on and jumped off the bed, just to run over to me and lunging herself at me. "Are you okay!?" "Yeah, I'm fine Fu-chan." She had me in a tight grip with her arms around me. I put my left arm around her and I patted her head with my right.

"Fuuka, I'm sorry about what happened this morning. I just—" "It's okay, I know you were going through a difficult time, and I should have been trying to help you more." "You did your best." "…Are you feeling better now?" "Yeah, I feel okay." "Good."

We stood out in the open, hugging.

"Do you wanna come in?" "Do you even need to ask?" She took me by the hand and led me into the room. We watched some movies before we went to sleep. While she was sleeping I connected my forehead to hers'. "The summer festival... I wonder what you'll look like in a Yukata?

8/16 Sun, Nagaki shrine, Evening

I was waiting at the shrine for the girls. (M.G. wanted to come along, too.)

"Kazuki-kun." "Speak of the devil…" I looked over at the entrance to find M.G. and Fuuka at the entrance of the shrine. I saw the girls in there Yukata; Fu-chan's was a teal colored one, and it also had sunflowers on it. The one M.G. had on all black with some purple flowers on it. She also had her signature mask hanging from the side of her head.

"Hello, Kazuki." "Sup ladies." "How do I look Kazuki-kun?" "…You look cute." "O-Oh, thank you." Fuuka was blushing. "Shall we get going? I like to see what this year's festival has to offer." "Mhh, let's go Kazuki-kun." "I hear you ladies, I hear ya."

All three of us went to the shrine. And while doing so, Aigis kept appearing out of nowhere and just kept attacking me. Nonetheless, Mitsu-chan told her to stand down and to behave like a normal person. But by the time they went over to a stand where you shot something with a game, Aigis was about to use her guns. Of course, Mitsu-chan stopped her from doing that. We all continued our night at the shrine.

"Yo, M.G., how did you get all those fish!?" "Gentle hands, and a calm nerve." "Huh, sounds like you." "It really does," Fuuka said, tilting her head to the side.

We went over to Takoyaki stand after putting all the fish back where they belong. "This is so good!" "It's kind of hot!" "Why don't you cool it down then," M.G. said while eating one Takoyaki ball one at a time. "Also, why are you two sharing?" "To save money." I just thought it was a good idea to share it.

After we all finished our Takoyaki, we went over to the raffle box; I won a Jack Frost doll.

"Doesn't it look cute, Fu-chan?" I also love these dolls. "It does look cute…" I look over to M.G., who takes the Jack Frost doll from my hands. "…" She raised it to the sky and started looking at it intensely. "…" I think I see her blushing. "Hey, M.G., do you like cute things?" "Huh!?" She reflexively puts on her mask… "Kazuki, Yamagishi, I'm going to be keeping this. ...For tactical advantage purposes of course." "…I'm not sure about that," I stated confidently. "Yes, and that's the only reason I'm keeping it!" "Okay…whatever you say." M.G. held the Jack Frost doll to her chest.

It was starting to get late… "Hey, I think we should get back, now." "You're right, but first…" Fuuka pointed towards a photographer. "You wanna get a picture together?" "Mhh." "Alright then, let go get ours taken them."

We went over to the photographer for our picture.

"Whoa, it seems like a young man like yourself is a smooth operator." "Wh-What, no, it's not like that! She's my friend and she's my girlfriend!" "Oh, okay, you're the modest type." "Can we please get our picture?" "Sure, Sure…" I was blushing because of this photographer was messing with me.

"All right, I have the camera ready, so I'll go from four to zero for the picture." We nod our heads in agreement…

"Three, two, one…" *Smooch* "Huh!?" "Zero." *Camera flash* I looked at Fuuka after our picture was taken. "Why did you kiss me on the cheek out of nowhere?" "…To make it more memorable." "Oh…"

The photographer came up to us... "Here's your pic." "Oh…thanks." I grabbed the picture from the photographer. I saw Fuuka kissing me on the cheek in the picture, and M.G. was just holding the doll to her chest.

"You kids are adorable." "What!?" I was blushing like crazy. "W-What's your name?" "Why for?" "I want to know who's messing with me." "Fine, I guess I can tell you." The Photographer took her camera and tucked it into her bag. " **I'm Maya Amano** , it was nicely taken pictures for this festival, but I have to leave." "Okay, thank you Amano-san" "No problem." Maya waves goodbye as she descended the stairs of the shrine.

"I think we should go now." "Okay, Shizuka-chan." "Yeah, let's jet." We made our way out of the shrine. Tonight was a very fun night hanging out with Fuuka And Rin…

"Rin, tomorrow…" "I know, this will be a do-or-die time for you." "Yeah. …But I need you to tell Fuuka about it." "I will…" "What are you guys talking about?" Fuuka looked curiously at us. "I'll tell you about it when we get back to the dorm, Yamagishi." "Okay…"

We all made our way back to the dorm. Tomorrow will be a very important day. I need to get ready…!

8/17 Mom, The lobby of Tartarus, Dark Hour

I was sitting on the floor with my legs crossed, and with my sword on my lap. However, it's wrapped cloth and some scriptures on the cloth. She said that they would help my weapon come in with me; I have some doubts, but I don't have any better ideas, so it's better to just go with it.

"Kazuki-kun, are you okay?" "Yeah, I'm fine." "…Are you sure?" "Fu-chan, I'm sure. I need to be." "Good, you'll need to be prepared." "I am…"

Fuuka sat down in front of me with her knees on the floor, and her hands on my head.

"The link is ready." "Good." "Kazuki, remember, you need to get the shadow to accept you. And also be careful, the shadow will try to kill you while you're in there." "Okay, but how do I get the shadow to accept me?" "I don't know, you'll have to figure it out while you're in there." "Alright."

"Yamagishi, now." "O-Okay." My Vision was beginning to fade. "Kazuki-kun, come back to alive." "Gotcha!" "…And also…"

My vision went completely blank before she could say anything else. But it didn't mean I didn't hear what she said to me, and what I felt on my lips. "…I love you." Those words gave me more confidants that I'll win this…

8/17 Mon, The sea of Kazuki's soul, Dark Hour

I was sinking into my own soul, only to land on a building...

 **"So, what brings you out to these neck of the woods?"** I look behind me to find 'him' behind me. **"So, Kazuki, what the hell you doing here, you pussy!?"** "I'm here to end this!" **"*Chuckle* There's nothing to end because it never started to begin with!"** "Then let me kick this thing off!" **"Bring it then! I'm gonna enjoy this…!**

* * *

 **I'm finally back, people! I finally finished editing all the chapters. Although I might have overlooked something, hopefully, nothing major So, I will be uploading new chapters of this like I usually would. And as for Reversed, I actually need to think about how I'm gonna do the rest of that story before uploading new chapters. With that being said, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and if you did please follow the story and leave what you thought of this chapter and the previous ones. So until the next; see ya...**

 **P.S. I did change a lot of things in the last 28 chapters. Not just text, but new things, and some changes in important parts. So I recommend to go back and read the chapters if you like. (I don't want to say go read them now, but when you guys have time on your hands.) So again, until the next chapter; see ya...**


	30. The attribute of a monster

**A little something at the end of the chapter... Also, we also reached the 30th chapter. Hell yeah!**

8/17, The sea of Kazuki's soul

 **"Oi, do you wanna get this over with or what?"** "Yeah, let's go, you bastard!" I ran towards him, unwrapping all the cloth that is covering my sword. I swung at him, but he blocked it with his own sword. **"You really think that a petty attack like that will take me out?" "** No, I don't!" I begin to strike at his sword.

*Clang* **"So, how much do you know now?"** "All of it!" **"I see, so then, you're gonna get me to accept you as the true host?"** "That's the plan!" **"...Well, you know what I say to that..."**

He pushes me back with his sword and he kicks me in the stomach. "ACK!" **"Just give it up! I ain't some pushover like you are! I am greater than the original!"** "Yeah, whatever you say!" I rush back over to him and I make my next move. " **Geez, you can't even hit me. Are you even trying?"** "Shut up!" I try to slash at his chest, but he just jumped back. **"You snooze you lose!"** "Don't you know!" I threw my sword inches away from me and I grabbed on the cloth that was hanging off the handle, and I swiped it to the side. *Slash* "...I use my head when I fight!" **"Shit!"**

He landed away from me with his hand on his wound. **'Heh heh, you think this makes a lick of a difference?"** "...No, but it means that you aren't untouchable. Even in here." **"Really...? Well then, I need to show you that you are dead wrong!"**

He ran over to me in a heartbeat… *Clang* **"What do you think now!? Do you think you still have a chance!?"** "Who knows! But I need to do this!" **"Don't act like you have this in the bag! ...You should be scared right now, begging me not to kill you!"** "Guess what, I ain't. So there goes your dream of me pleading for mercy!" **"No, that's not even close to what I dream about. No, no, no. …I dream about killing all of your friends in the blink of an eye, while you watch!"**

This guy is off the rails! But, I do have to say, he is strong; I feel like if I make one wrong move, he'll tear off my head…!

 **"Inferno!"** A pillar of fire was rising up from the floor. I dodge out of the way before it hit me. "How are you able to do that?" **"Guess I'm just a better version than you."** He started to call for more power... **"Thunder reign!"** I saw a bolt of lightning crashing down from the sky. "SHIT!" I rolled out of the attacks radios. It still hit me somewhat, but I was still okay for the most part. **"You dodged that well for the most part. ...But that will change in an instant..."** "We'll see about that!"

I was running over to him with my sword, and I was gearing up to summon my Persona. "Per-" **"That won't work."** "Huh!?" I didn't feel anything coming out. **"...The moment you came in here, you weren't gonna be able to use your Persona. No, wait a moment, that didn't make sense. I guess you can say: you wouldn't be able to use me!** **"I am a shadow, a piece of you. The piece that is your Persona; so, therefore, I am your Persona - Skeith!"**

I wasn't as shocked as I would have been if I didn't hear about what this thing really was. "Is that so..." **"Yep, it most definitely is. ...I can tap into my own power and use it against you."** "If you're Skeith, then you'll be able to withstand this...!"

I ran in front of his face, and I started slashing at him with all the strength I had. He was blocking almost all of my attacks like they were nothing. But that didn't change my resolve. I just needed an opening! **"Your moves are so stiff! You'll never get anywhere in this fight!"** He was right about that. I need to change how I'm supposed to be attacking. So, in retrospect of that, I began to change up my style...

I was slashing and he was blocking my attack as usual. But, while he didn't notice, I went down and I swept his leg. **'What the!?"** While he was still falling to the ground, I took this opportunity to finally do some damage. While I was still on the floor, I kicked him with the two of my feet right into his chest. Hopefully, that did some damage...

 **"Argg, not bad, but not even good enough..."** "Tch!" I began to fight him using my sword and my legs. It seems to be effective for the most part. But, it doesn't seem to be doing much. I feel like anything I do isn't good enough. No, I need to keep pushing back!

'HA!" *Clang* **"Gettin' all fired up I see."** "So what?" **"No reason. It'll be really funny when I beat your ass into oblivion!"** "Keep talking shit! We'll see who comes out on top!" **"Right you are..."**

We separated from each other and immediately after that, he was gearing up to use another spell. **"Deadly wind!"** A gust of wind came out of nowhere and began to push against my body, while at the same time, cutting me... **"That must hurt, doesn't it? Well, that's what you get for messing with me!"** I was getting pushed away from him. I getting far away from him.

 **"THUNDER REIGN!"** I heard the shadow yell that yards away from me. Lightning was coming down on me. "AHHHHH!" **"Good... Suffer!"** He cast the same spell again..."AHHHHHH!" This isn't good at all. I need to change my situation fast...!

The lobby of Tartarus, Dark Hour

Blood was dripping from his mouth. "Shizuka-chan, what is happening!?" "Like I said: He is in combat right now. He'll continue to spit out blood like this if he takes damage in there." I went silent for a minute to really process what Kazuki-kun got himself into...

"Please, Kazuki-kun. I need you to come back to me alive..."

The sea of Kazuki's soul, Dark Hour

I was still getting electrocuted by the shadow. "AHHHHHH!" **"Come on, put up a fight!"** I was trying to get out of getting hit consistently by the Zio spell, but every attempt was a failure; I was stuck in this never-ending cycle of pain. This doesn't look good at all. ...I don't even think I can win; this might be curtains for me... My eyes were getting heavy, and in no time at all, my eyes were closed shut...

"Naoya!"

?, Naoya's apartment,?

Huh...where am I?

"Damn it, I lost!" "Sorry, better luck next time..." I remember this. Naoya and I wanted to see who can eat a bowl of ramen first. ...Of course, I lost.

"You're lucky that I went easy on you Naoya." "Yeah, yeah, but you can't use that excuse every time." "Huh," I didn't expect Naoya to drop advice on me out of nowhere. "You can't hold back on anything. You need to apply everything you have on the matter at hand; it could make a big difference more than you think, and you might have people relying on you." "..." I thought what he told me that day was just make himself seem mature. But now, I know he really meant it. I can't give up now. I need to get back out there!

The sea of Kazuki's soul, Dark Hour

 **"Oi, Kazuki, I'm gonna kill you now~..."** I heard a lightning bolt coming from the sky. I wasn't gonna allow him to keep this battle in his favor. Not anymore! **"Die!"** "Ocean's stream!" I shot a wave of black energy at the huge thunderbolt that was heading my way. **"What the hell!?"** I began to descend down on top of a building. **"How did you do that!?"** "I don't really know myself, but it doesn't matter. ...What matters is that I win this!" **"Win this, huh?"**

Without wasting any time, I went towards the shadow. I was charging up another Ocean's stream. "RAGGGHH!" I shot a couple more at him. **"You son of a bitch!"** He got hit with a few of them.

"*Pant* *Pant* *Pant*" The dust was clearing, and I was in awe of what I just did; I was finally able to shoot off more than one! "WOOO!" I was kind of proud of myself at this moment. But if I want to shoot off multiple I need to put less _SP_ into my sword. **"ARGHH! You little bastard!"** I looked to my right to see that the shadow was still able to move. **"So, you wanna use stream attacks, fine! ...I'll play along!** He was charging up an attack of his own... **"SHIRO STREAM!"** He launched an Ocean's stream at me. I was gonna shoot mine to cancel out his, but it was almost near me. So I had to slash at it while I had the almighty energy stored in the blade. *BOOM* It exploded right in front of my face, but I was okay and that's all that matters. Although, I did have a few cuts on my face.

 **"Oi, Kazuki, can I ask you something?"** "What is it?" **"In a battle, you are meant to defeat the other person, yes?"** "Yeah, why?' **"...In a fight, you can have many attributes, you know that, right?"** "Y-Yeah..." **"But, you probably didn't know this... There is one attribute you need to have when you're in a fight..."** He put his left hand over his face. "What is that one thing!?" He then swiped his hand across his face as if he was ripping something off. **"YOU NEED TO HAVE THE AGGRESSION OF A MONSTER!"** A red aura was seeping out of him...

 **"YOU NEED TO BE BRUTAL, VICIOUS, MERCILESS, AND FINALLY BUT NOT LEAST; YOU NEED TO DESTROY YOUR ENEMIES INTO NOTHING UNTIL THEIR BLOOD IS ALL OVER THE PLACE!"**

"The aggression of a monster..." I charged up my next attack. "You really are nothing like me." **"Thank God I ain't. I'd rather kill myself!"**

Without further delay, I rushed over to him. **"LET'S GET THIS ON!"** We clashed swords multiple times. I jumped at him with my sword pressing against his. I was pushing him back, and I need to keep it that way.

 **"This battle isn't yours! Ice age!"** A giant block of ice was heading for me. "Whoa!" I dodged out of the way. **"Now, Inferno!"** I thought the attack was coming straight for me. But, that isn't what happened. He hit the ice that crashed into the roof. It made a giant wave of smoke and it surrounded me, making it nearly impossible to see anything."*Gasp*" I heard a noise behind me. I slashed at an empty space in the air... **"Got ya!"** "Shit!" I was too late to react in time. *Clang* He knocked my sword out of my hand. **"THE KILLING BLOW!"** He drove the sword through my chest. "ACK!" I was spitting out blood...

 **"How does that feel? Good?"** He was just toying with me at this point. Nonetheless, I felt the pain coursing through one point of my body. "AGGRHH!" **"Hurts doesn't it. You came far, but this is the end for you..."**

No...this can't be it, not yet! **"If only you acted like me, you wouldn't be in this situation."**

If only I acted like him... I kept repeating what he said to me in my head, over and over again. It bothered me so damn much! And while this shadow was still laughing at me, he reminded of memories of my past battles. I remember the full-moon shadows and what happened during those fights. I fought those shadows with all my strength. ...Not only that, but I did anything I could just to survive the fight. Wait "I did anything just to survive"... I did all of those things I did, to survive. I need to survive; by any means necessary!

"I ain't done yet!" **"Huh, you say something?"** "I said... I AIN'T DONE YET!" I pulled back my hand... I thrust my hand with all the power I can muster at this moment and I drive it towards his chest. "ARRRGGHHH!"

I felt my hand go through something. I looked down to where my hand went through. It went through the shadow's chest...

 **"ACK!** **You...!"** "..." **"You pierced me...like a monster. Hehehe..."** "...I did this to survive. I'm nothing like you, nor are you nothing like me!" **"That's fine by me. ...I wouldn't have it any other way."**

I looked at the shadow's feet- They were starting to disappear. **"You bested me...for now. ...But, always remember this: I'll always be watchin' you, even if you don't know it..."**

And with that, he disappeared like scraps of paper being pushed in the wind. I was looking where the sword pierced me. The wound is no longer there, neither is the sword. (Obliviously) I also felt like there was someone else here as well...

"Who's there?" _"You need not fear me, but instead notice me."_ This guy was talking in a weird way, but not to the point where I couldn't understand him. _"You did well in that fight. Even though you had no chance, you pulled through nonetheless. Perfect work, Kazuki-sama..."_ Why did he address me that way?

"Umm... Thanks, I guess. ...But who are you?" When I asked that, he put his hand in front of my face. "Sorry, but there I need you to return to the other world, now." ...Wait! Why do I need to go back!?" _"This place is unstable. I need to tend to this place."_

He put all of his other fingers away, besides his index and middle finger _. "Remember this name: Phi."_ Phi... What a bizarre name. But it didn't matter to me. "Okay, I got your name Phi." _"Good, now close your eyes_.

When I did what I was told, I felt his fingers touch my forehead. After he did that, I felt a disconnect with my own soul. I also felt like I was just drifting away from it...

The lobby of Tartarus, Dark Hour

I jolted myself wake after I felt Kazuki-kun's head move

"Kazuki-kun!" "Kazuki, you did it!" **"This isn't Kazuki. ...But instead, the greatest being to have ever existed in this universe!"** "...!" "No, that can't be!?" **"Oh yes, it can be. It was the obvious conclusion."** "You bastard!" He grabbed Yamagishi by the wrist and pulled her over to him. **"I think I** **finally understand why he likes you."** "Huh!?" "You son of a...!" **"I think I'm gonna rule this world with an iron fist. But first, I'm gonna destroy this city."** I was still shocked that Kazuki-kun lost in there. He said he would come back to me.

"You promised me Kazuki." "Yamagishi, get away, now!"

The shadow went over to the staircase. **"I will destroy this whole world, mwahaha!"**

Shizuka-chan was powering herself up. "Perso-" Suddenly, the shadow started to make silly faces. "PSYCHHHH!" "Huh?" When I looked into his eyes there was no glow in it. It really was him! "Aw, man, I can't believe you fell for that. "Kazuki-kun!" I hugged him after I realized that. "Yeah, it's me. ...Sorry for the prank-" *Smack* "Ow, what was that for!?" "That was a prank! I thought I really lost you! Do you have any idea how I felt about that!?" "I-" "You're a jerk!" Fuuka ran off outside of Tartarus. "Hey, wait!" "Ths is what happens when you act insensitively... She worries about you all the time when you fight, now you go and do this. How stupid can you get!?"

Rin was right, I was acting like an idiot. I need to go find Fuuka!

Somewhere in Iwatodai, Dark Hour

I was running around the city, following the trail of bloody footprints. They led me into paulownia mall, where I found Fuuka sitting on a bench. "Hey." "Hey..." "You know there was blood on your shoe?" "Oh..." This had gotten awkward...

"So, do you mind if I sit next to you?" "Sure." I sat down next her. "Hey, I'm sorry about earlier. It was totally uncalled for and you didn't deserve that cruel prank." "It truly was..." "...And to be honest, you have a right to be mad at me. I do some of the dumbest things a guy can do, huh... Loving me must be hard; I'm sorry" Fuuka said nothing, so I thought that was my cue to leave... However, I felt something tugging at my sleeve. "Loving you isn't hard, it's just scary." "..." "...I feel a form of doubt when you go and fight. I can't predict what will happen, so I get scared about what will happen to you; I get scared because of those risks because I'm afraid of you dying; I'm scared of being alone all over again!"

She was really pouring her heart out on this one, and I should have known this is what she fears; loneliness...

"I feel the same way," I said remembering that fake world. "You do?" "Of course, that's why I do all those self-courageous acts; to protect you, but I wasn't thinking about how you felt." "So, that's how you feel." "Yes, I sound too overprotective, don't I?" "No, no! I actually like that about you." "Oh really~" "Y-yes..."

Fuuka came a bit closer to me and I wrapped my arm around here. "Want to go home now?" "Mhm..."

I held her hand all the way back home, and I didn't want to ever let go. Also, that night, I told her about the fake world and what happened in it. I felt a type of weight coming off my shoulders.

Outside of Iwatodai dormitory, Midnight

I was watching the pair go back inside the dorm... They make me sick! More importantly, I was trying to understand why Yata was still here... "Tch, why are you even sticking here? There has to be an endgame you're trying to play at here, isn't there...?" If only it was the Dark Hour I would've gone in there and asked her myself, but I didn't want to run the risk of getting the police on my ass.

"Hmph, maybe another time then..." I began to walk away from the dorm with ideas running around in my head...

* * *

 **Another chapter** , **another dollar. (Not really) Hello everyone, Proxy's saga here. And I think this might be the last chapter for this year because of the holidays, and plus I might not finish the next chap in time for new years. So, yeah. Bye!**

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 **You still here? Fine, I'll speak some more. I want to thank the people who supported the series in any way possible; either it is by reviewing, reading, and just taking the time to like the series. ...No, that isn't enough... What would Rise say? No, that's a bit cliche... OH, I got it! Thank you all of you kick-ass people who supported the series this far! Hopefully, we can give another kick-ass year with this story!**

 **Whew...that was a lot. So, yeah, I hope you guys enjoyed this last chap...of the year. And the last chap of the first arc; because now, things might a bit bumpy for our lovable Kazuki. (Okay, that sounded better in my head.) So until then,** **please leave a review if you wanna leave your thoughts on** **what you thought about any of the chapters. And follow the series to know when I upload a chapter.**

 **And also, if anyone wants to PM** **me just to start a convo with me, go right ahead. (It's not like I do anything productive anyway.) So, on that note, I hope you all have a fantastic December. So, until the next time; see ya!**


	31. An icy reception

**The amount of time I put into these chaps is outstanding! Anyway. I hope you guys enjoy this chap because, after this, I'll no longer make new chapters!**

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 **Fine, I'm lying! (You guys are hard to trick!) But seriously, I do hope you guys enjoy this. Also, HAPPY NEW YEARS!**

8/28 Mon, The lobby of Tartarus, Dark Hour

I was slashing at the blade M.G. kept hitting me. I was blocking against most of her attacks this far, but the only reason I was able to keep up with her was for one reason... "Shit!" "Your guard is down!" I swiped my left-hand across my face. And I felt a sudden surge of power flow through me.

*Thump* "Tch!" M.G. was in midair when she kicked at me. I blocked with my left arm.

"You lag up after you start it up! You need to react faster!" She was able to land a hit below my chin. *Thump* "UGH!" "Told you..."

I was lying on the floor, feeling a very large, throbbing pain coming from my chin.

"Damn, that hurts!" "You need to move faster." "I was!" "...Not fast enough in my perspective." I got up from the floor as I was rubbing my chin. "You seem to be getting used to 'it'." "Yeah, I'm getting used to this. And I gotta say- this is pretty cool!

I was getting used to this whole power-up thing. We called it "Shadow-transmogrification", or "shadow-mog", a shorter version for the name. It suppose to work as a passive skill to amp up a magical attack, except, I can activate it anytime, and it doesn't amp up my magic; but instead, three other states. ...While I'm in this state I can't use my Persona, because essentially, I'm wearing my Persona; so it basically merges me and the shadow together. But, that isn't the cool part. It makes my _SP_ count a lot larger, and it also releases the limit on the amount of _SP_ I can use to an extent. Which equals me being able to do more powerful Ocean's stream attacks And the states that increases are defense, speed, and strength... Now that I think about it, this is amazing!

"Even with all these power-ups, you still have your 'Drawback'..." Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. I have a drawback with this ability, though... I can't use it for more than five seconds. "I know and it sucks." I picked up the water bottle on the floor and I began to drink it.

"How do you feel?" "Great, why?" "...Just checking." I was waiting for M.G. to give out the next set of instructions.

"Alright, we're going home." "Really, I didn't do my normal exercises yet?" "...And would you need to do them now? We have been fighting in Tartarus lately after you fought your shadow." "Yeah, I guess your right."

I picked up my jacket, and we began to make for the exit.

"Hey, M.G., what do you think your organization is up to?" " Old." "Oh, sorry, I forgot." "Well, I don't know what they're planning, but if I were to say anything about them, it would be to step with caution..."

M.G.'s warning made a chill run down my spine. Actually, it made my body feel cold. "God, it's cold!" "...In the middle of summer?" M.G. brought up a good point. It was cold in the middle of summer. "Maybe it was just me." "Maybe so..."

I had this uneasy feeling in the pits of my stomach.

"Hey, M.G. can we head back to the dorm, now?" "Yes, let's head back." We began to walk back over to the dorm. I still had this creepy feeling around me...

8/29 Tues, Iwatodai dormitory, Kazuki/Fuuka's room

I still felt cold, even when I was in bed with Fuuka. I just felt this uneasy, cold feeling wrapped around my body. I thought it was just me but I don't think it's just me being me.

"Kazuki-kun...are you okay...?" Fuuka turned her head towards me. "Yeah, I'm fine," I replied while I still felt cold sensations going through my body. "You know when I can tell when you are lying to me." Damn, I guess she knows me too well at this point.

"*Sigh* This is gonna sound ridiculous, but I sort of...feel cold." "Huh, but it's-" "I know, I heard it from M.G. already." "Oh... But why do you feel cold then?" "...I don't know? (Maybe a bufu spell?) But I think it might be because of something else..."

I was still shivering cold. That's how I was feeling until I felt something wrap around me. "Are you warm now?" Fuuka wrapped herself around me, under the covers...

"It's a start." I was still cold, but Fuuka made things a bit warmer...

I was finally able to close my eyes peacefully... Fu-chan is a Godsend.

?, The sea of Kazuki's soul,?

I opened my eyes to find myself in my soul.

"Okay, who dragged me down here?" "...It would be me." I looked over to where the voice came from. "You seem to have grown a bit." It was Philemon!

"Yo, Philemon, long time no see!" "Hello, Kazuki, how are you?" "I'm doing great. But..." "What troubles you?"

I felt like it was cold out there, but in here, I feel okay."

"...I feel cold whenever I'm outside of this place." "Is that so..." "Yeah, but in the middle of summer, now that's weird, right?" "Bizarre indeed..."

Philemon stood there for a minute, he was pondering on what I just told him. "Well, in any case, it is good to see you again, Kazuki," Philemon said with a hand in front of himself. "You too." I shake his hand.

"You should get back to your world, now." "Aw, and here I was wanting to talk to you for a bit longer, but if you say so..." "Maybe another time." "Okay."

With the snap of his fingers, the place began to turn dark...

"Kazuki, know that I'll be here to help you on your journey from now, and until the end; till the very end..." When Philemon said that, it made me think there was more to his words than just encouraging me. But I wasn't gonna ask him right now... I just wanted to wake up without anything to bothering my conscious.

8/29 Tues, Port island station, Morning

I was standing in front of the movie theater in front of the station. I just got done watching a movie with Fuuka. We were watching a marathon of Sci-fi movies that were showing today. While we were watching, she was nerding out to the point where it was nearly impossible to do any of those cliches a guy would do on a date with a girl.

After we were finished watching all of them, she ran off to the bathroom after we got out of the theaters.

"Kei-kun, is that you?" "Huh?" I saw someone waving over towards me. It was Yukari and Minako.

"Kei-kun, what are you doing here?" "I came to see a movie with Fu-chan today." "Oh, where is she, I need to talk to her about something?" "Bathroom." Yukari went over to the station bathroom...

I looked over to Minako who looked away from me. "Minako, are you alright?" "..." "...Minako, I'm sorry about what happened to your fingers, and it won't happen again, so-" "Shut up! You're so damn annoying!" I wasn't surprised that Minako is angry; I deserve it.

"You want to know if I'm okay, then let me tell you if I'm okay! Hmm, no, I'm not okay; I have only one working eye, and my whole left hand isn't working properly due to my fingers being destroyed! But here's the kicker: the only person in this world that means a damn to me, isn't here! So as far as I am concerned; I'm not okay! So Kei Kazuki, do me one favor, just one- fuck off!"

Minako was walking towards the staircase until she turned around.

"I bet you don't even care about finding Makoto at all, do you; but if it were Fuuka, you be looking high-and-low!" "That's not-" "...Hell, maybe you won't be able to do anything about it; they would probably kill her, and you wouldn't be able to do a goddamn thing about it, and let me tell you why: you're weak! Any of those assholes can take you by themselves if they wanted to...!"

After she told me off, she went over to the exit out of the station. When she was near the exit, Yukari and Fuuka came out of the bathroom. Yukari and Minako left the station, and Fuuka came over to me.

"What happened?" "Nothing..." I felt all the words she said to me. (They hit-home...) "Hey, can we go back to the dorm, I don't feel too well." "Oh, okay... Let's head home."

While we walked back to the dorm, I didn't say anything about what Minako said to me. I didn't feel like bringing it up. I was the one who did destroy her eye and destroyed her left hand...

"(To himself) I don't care about finding Makoto, huh... That isn't true!" But what she said about me being weak... "(To himself) Nope, that isn't true! I wasn't ready the first time, but the next time, I'll kick their asses, no sweat!"

"Umm, Kazuki-kun..." "Yeah." "People are staring at us." "Huh?" I saw some people staring at me. (I think they heard me...)

?, ?,?

I was sitting in my seat with my feet on our grand table, waiting for the "boss's" stand-in to arrive. This bastard loves to keep people waiting!

"Gentlemen, I hope I didn't make you all wait too long?" Immediately after this guy opened his mouth, I jumped out of my chair. "Waiting! You had me waiting for an hour! ...I could kill you!" "Masaru, sit down," the stand-in said in a calm order, pissing me off. "Screw you! I got some beef to settle with you anyway, asshat!" "Masaru, I believe you would like what I have to say..."

I went over to him and I grabbed him by the collar of his robe. "It better be a good one." My fist had miniature explosions popping in the palm of my left hand. "It involves the Kei Kazuki child you are interested in." "...!" I let go of the son of a bitch's collar, and I went back to my seat.

"Now, the boss has informed me to give out your new directives." "What are they," the Sadao bastard asked. "You two will be transferring a prisoner to a certain location." "Where at?" "Gekkoukan high." "Why would we do that." "Quite simple: we'll be running an...interesting experiment there." The dude who said also pisses me off to a degree.

"What is this experiment?" "You'll see shortly enough..." I hate waiting, but I guess it can't be helped.

"Masaru, Sadao, I'll need your help." "What a pain in my ass!" "I must concur." "I need people that can help me move the prisoner." "Why can't you have someone else - besides me - do it for you!?" "Because I said so."

I didn't want to get into an argument with this nerd, so I just got up from my seat, and I started following Sadao, and the mad scientist - **Tsuneo Toshio -** to where the damn prisoner is at. This better gets me to see that "loser" again...!

9/1 Fri, Gekkuokan high, 2-E, Morning

I entered the classroom with Fu-chan and Natsu-chan. Before getting inside the class, I saw Aigis trying to hide from me (so she can spy on me) behind a few of the students... I also forgot to mention that Aigis started attending Gekkoukan as of today; all because Ikutsuki wanted to experiment with her being in a social space or whatever. Overall, she's acting like a real pain in my ass!

"Hey, doesn't it feel cold to anyone?" "Now that you mention it, I do feel cold..." Some girls in the class were mentioning how cold it was, and that alone grabbed my attention. I noticed how cold it was, too. (Again.)

"Hey, Fuuka, don't you think it's cold in here," Natsuki asked with something coming from her mouth; Her breath...!

"Natsuki did your breath just...?" "Huh, what about it?" When finished her sentence, she saw the cloud of air in front of her. "What the hell?" "*Gasp*" Fuuka gasp out of nowhere. I saw her legs shaking. "What's the matter?" "Huh!?" Before she could answer, I heard a voice echo inside of the classroom.

 _"Hello everyone, my name is Toshio, a man who enjoys his work... And as of now, you are trapped in this place._ " I was confused by what was going on. But M.G. on the other hand, she got out of her seat and ran out of the class. ...I went after her.

"Kazuki-kun, wait up...!"

Gekkoukan high, main hall, morning

I found M.G. standing in the center of the hall,

"Oi, M.G., what's wrong!? What's going on...!?" " _Ah, an ex-Yatagarasu is coming to greet me? You really don't need to do that."_ Ex-Yatagarasu? _"...Instead, you should be prepared for the change that this school is about to undergo soon."_ "What changes!?" " _Oh, you'll see..."_

A moment later, I felt a strong breeze go past us.

" _Time for the experiment to begin!"_

I saw crystal-like ice coming from the corners of the two other hallways. At the same time, I heard footsteps coming from the stairs behind us.

"Kazuki-kun, Shizuka-chan!" I saw Fuuka running over towards us. "Are you two alright!? "Fuuka, get out of here!" "But-" "But nothing! It's dangerous here right now; you'll be safer if you aren't anywhere near the fights..."

I saw the ice moving through the walls and the floor. And at the same time, something happened to the floor below us all...

M.G. grabbed on the store counter since it wasn't gonna fall down. But that didn't mean Fuuka and me were able to get out of the way, too.

"AHHHH!" "KAZUKI, YAMAGISHI!"

Fuuka and I were falling down a pit that could lead us to god knows where. I held Fuuka close to me so she wouldn't get hurt on impact. I use Skeith's endurance to make sure I survive the fall as well...

"Shit, this doesn't look good!" I didn't like where this was heading... "I guess I better use it!"

When I felt like we were gonna hit the ground soon, I activated my shadow-mog` so I can increase my endurance.

I don't think I will survive the fall, but I need to try anyway.

"Hang on close, Fuuka!" I held her close to me as we went down to the depths of this pitfall...


	32. Hypnos' spell

**Holy shit! over 300 views in the first two weeks! Thank you guys so much for that, and hopefully, you guys will enjoy this chap too.**

9/1, ?, ?

My eyes were twitching open. Did we survive the fall? I stood my back up, it felt sore as hell...

"Huh, Fuuka?" I saw her laid out on the floor, on my left. "Hey, Fuuka, are you okay?" "Mmm..." "Hey, wake up!" She began to wake up, rubbing her eyes while doing so. "Kazuki-kun, are you okay?" "Yeah, I'm fine."

I turned my head to see the sides of the hallways. They're ice all over the place. "Where are we?" "I don't know, I'll scan ahead." "Okay. Wait, what? How are you going to do that, you don't have an Evoker, do you?" "Well..."

She drew an Evoker from her skirt pocket. "Why the heck did you bring an Evoker!?" "It wasn't my idea to bring it, it was Shizuka-chan's idea." "Really now..." I think I need to talk to M.G. about this later on...

"Lucia." Fuuka summoned her Persona and went to work. "Hmm... I don't sense anything out of the ordinary, but I do see a giant door on the left side of the hallway." "Must be an exit." "Possibly..." She dismisses her Persona. "We should move carefully." "Yeah, so stay close to me." "Okay." We began to walk to the door Fuuka found.

"Stop!" "Huh?" We looked behind us to see where the voice came from. We saw a kid with some glasses on. He also had on the Gekkoukan uniform. "You two are Kei Kazuki, Fuuka Yamagishi, right?" "No." Lying seems like a good idea. " You're a bad liar. You are Kei Kazuki and Fuuka Yamagishi!" I didn't expect him to fall for it though. "Okay then, who are you?" "I am the guardian of this place - **Juro Manabu** \- a guardian of some of the shards." "What?" "I guess that wouldn't mean anything to you, would it." "I guess..."

He looked up at us with a blank expression on his face. "Are dreams good to you guys?" "Huh?" "Answer the question." "Yeah, I guess." "Y-Yes." "Oh, really," Juro asked with a sort of condescending tone in his voice. "Do you both really mean it...?" This guy is starting to creep me out. "Because it seems to me that you guy aren't too sure about your answers." "Does this even matter?" "Quite, since I enjoy dreams myself. They're like a place you can escape to when you are all tired out from the world." This guy... He isn't ordinary, that much is clear.

"Kazuki-kun, I sense something wrong with him." "What?" "A certain power is rising." "Really." "You are quite perceptive. Yes, I do have powers. ...In fact, you can say I too have a Persona." "...!" "*Gasp*" Juro didn't care about hiding that fact.

"I guess it's kind of rude for me not to show you what my Persona does. So, I'll show you. Hypnos!" A persona appeared behind him. A Persona with only a cloth covering his body. "Oh, my." "I know it looks inappropriate Yamagishi, and I apologize, but you shouldn't really let your guard down." "What?" "What are you gonna do!?" "You shouldn't use past tense for something I already did." "What?" "...Every one of your second-year friends is asleep." "What!" "How did you do that? Your Persona shouldn't have that type of reach with its spells." "Hmph, shows what you know. Personas are capable of so much more than what any of you know."

He stopped looking at the floor and looked over at us. "Time for you two to enter a blissful dream, Hypnos!" A wave of fatigue was heading our way. "Well, looks like I'll have to use this...!" I threw a sort of worm towards the sleep spell, and when I did, it created a hurricane blowing against the sleep spell. "Western blast!" "Huh" A blast of unknown energy exploded in front of me. "AGGHHH!" I was sent flying back. *Thud*

"I'm sorry Yamagishi, but you're next." "..." "Western blast." The same wave of energy. "Wait!" "It's okay Kazuki-kun, I got this..." Fuuka put her Evoker to her head. "Lucia now's your now time!" *Bang* The attack hit. "Fuuka!"

The dust was clearing, and I saw a figure's shadow standing. "Fuuka, are you okay!?" "Yes, and the reason for that is..." I saw the dust clear in the area in front of Fuuka. And I saw something odd. "What...is that?"

The plate circled Circled around Lucia... "This is called 'Counter shield'! It works like a, but with one minor detail." A red circle formed in front of the shield; a magic circle? The circle produces an Agi fireball.

Boom* "AHHH!" The attack connected, and it seems like he's weak to fire.

"G-Get-GET IT OFF ME!" "Huh!?" Something is definitely wrong here. There is no fire on him. "Hey, calm down, you're not on fire!" His screaming was starting to calm down.

"*Pant* *pant* *pant*" "Are you okay?" "Why are you asking me that, I tried to kill you!?" "Still..." Fuuka had her shield go back to Lucia, and she dismissed her. "Are you..." "Flurry stab!" "*Gasp*" "Skeith!"

I had Skeith lung at Hypnos, he grabbed it's head and slammed it into the ice-covered walls.

"She just wanted to see if you were okay!" "I am an enemy, you shouldn't care about me!" Hypnos pushed Skeith away. "Just Personas! "Fine by me, I don't even have a weapon."

Hypnos moved over to me. "Go Skeith!" Skeith did a flurry of attacks, so did Hypnos. *Thud* Skeith fist hit the wall. "Chance! Flurry stab!" Hypnos hit Skeith's shoulder, damaging his shoulder, and me as well. "ARGGGHH!" "Kazuki-kun!" "Now, Eastern bla-" Skeith came flying back at Hypnos, hitting it in the face with his kneecap." *Thump* "AGGHH!" "Take it!"

He felt that blow full on. "How you like that!" "Damn, I guess this calls for a better skill to be used..."

The Persona user gets up from the floor and was just standing there. "I'm sorry, but this will end..." The air around us felt heavier. "I have a bad feeling about this!" "...!" "Dark slum-" "Stop!" "Huh?" "What is it Yamagishi?"

Fuuka walked in front of me, and she shot herself with her Evoker.

"Right now, I am using my shield and note, I can do this five times in a single day, and I'm short one. Also, once it identifies your weakness, it'll use it again against you. So please, retreat...

The Persona-users hands were trembling... "Why are your hands trembling then!?" "Because, I don't want to hurt you, but if you continue to fight...then I'll fight, too!"

Fuuka was standing her ground against him...

"Damn, fine. I'll leave for now, but sooner or later we'll need to end this. ... even if you don't..."

He dismissed his Persona. "The door up ahead will lead you back to your friends... Once you get there, you'll have to wake them up. But it won't be through normal " "What about you, man?" "What about me?" He began to walk past us. "I'm already dead." "What!" "That doesn't make any sense! But I sensed-" "It doesn't matter what you sensed, I'm dead and that's a fact."

He went past us, and then all together, he disappeared into thin air.

"Kazuki-kun, we should get going." "Yeah, let's go..."

While we were walking to the door, I wanted to ask Fuuka about her new powers.

"Hey, Fuuka, how did you get that ability?" "I trained with Shizuka-chan." "You know how to fight then?" "No, I just learned how to deploy the shield." "Oh, that's still useful, and pretty cool!" "Really?" "Yeah, you were pretty badass back there." "I was?" "Hell yeah." "T-thank you." "Nah, you deserve it."

"But about my ability, Kazuki-kun." "What about it?" "I can't do it five times in a single day, nor does it do the same attack again even if it's been identified." "Wait are saying..." "I lied."

She said one hell of a lie to save our lives back there. I should feel surprised, and I am. Albeit... I put my hand on top of her head, and I began to rub it. "You still did an amazing job." "Thank you..."

We reached the door... We both put our hands on other doors. "Let's go." "Right." We opened the door to where our friends could be at...

Gekkoukan high, class: 2-F,?

When we came out from the other end of the doorway, we saw a bunch of students looked over to us.

"Hey, when did you guys go in there!?" "Huh?" "How did you get in there!?" "Whoa, calm yourself." "Answer me!" "We fell through the floor in the main hallway." "Bullshit!" "*Sigh* What do you want from me, man." "Tell me your names!" "That's Kei Kazuki and Fuuka Yamagishi." "Huh?" "You know these guys, Minako?" "If I didn't I wouldn't have known their names." "Right, sorry."

Minako gets up from a desk. "Minako, where is everyone else?" "Over there..." Minako pointed to everyone else. Aigis was looking after them with the utmost care.

"He wasn't lying..." "Who!?" "Um, n-nobody," I stuttered.

I went over to them. They were sound asleep. "Alright, time to do this!" "I will not let you get near them," Aigis stood in front of us with her hands stretched out. "Aigis, move. We don't have time for this!" "I will protect them from any threat; including you!" "Me too, huh..."

Aigis looks dead set on not letting me through. I wasn't gonna argue with her, but instead...

"You want to stop, then you should do something about it." "...!" "Kazuki-kun, she's still faster than you! Don't fight her!" "I not gonna fight her." Instead, I was gonna do something else.

Boom* "Whoa, there was an explosion!" "Let's go check it out!" All the other students left the classroom to check where the explosion came from. I put my hand on my face.

"Closing the gap!" After Aigis stated that, she was aiming for my head with a swift kick. I don't have a lot of time to be able to use this, but Aigis isn't giving me a choice.

Thud* Aigis' foot hit the floor. "Huh, where did Kazuki-kun go?" "He has disappeared. This is a weird event." "Far from it, look right there." "Huh?" "How is this possible!?" "Trust me, it's possible!"

I was behind Aigis, who was still trying to figure out how I was fast enough to move past her, and I was next to Yukari. I put my finger on her forehead.

Yukari's dream world,?

The moment after I put my finger on her forehead, I was brought to an unknown location. I walked around for a bit, and from I have seen so far, this appears to be a normal house.

"Hello, hello?" "You don't need to be so loud!" "Huh?" I saw Yuka-chan behind me. She was wearing a different school uniform than what she normally wears.

"Sorry if I was making you wait." "What are you talking about?" "Aren't we walking to school together?" "Oh, really?" "Are you messing with me right now? You said Stupei wasn't coming along with us, and Fuuka was heading there with Moriyama. So, I said we shouldn't wait for Minako, Makoto, and Aigis then since we would be late by the time they got here; you agreed." "Oh..."

She took my hand and was trying dragging me out of the house. "Hey, Yuka-chan, wait!" "What is it?" "Do you know that this is all a dream?" "A dream...?" "Yeah, none of this is real, none of it. So, we need to get going."

Yuka-chan stood quietly for a minute. Her face look changed expressions.

"It doesn't need to be fake." "Come again?" "...I know that this is fake, but...I feel too happy being here. I want this to be real and it can be. Don't you think..." Everything she said just now...made sense to me. I know how she's feeling, but still...

"This could be real for you too. You could have your mother alive, and-" "Yukari," I yelled to gain her attention "...!" "Listen, we need to back, and I'm not only saying that because I want to leave. But because your friends aren't here, but outside of this dream."

She let go of my hand after I was done talking. "*Sigh* I had a feeling you would convince me... But at the same time, I wish you didn't." "I'm sorry, but we need you and everybody else." "Me..." "Yeah, I need all you guys to help me with this." "Oh..." "And we also need our residential healer present." "Y-yeah, your right!"

Yuka-chan's outfit changed to her Gekkoukan uniform with the pink cardigan.

"The pink warrior has returned!" "Is that another nickname you gave me?" "Sorry, it was just too good to pass up." "You- *Sigh* I guess it'll be okay to let you call me that in here, although, if you tell anyone else about that nickname, I'll knock you out." "Okay."

"Hey, did you always have yellow eyes?" "Huh, oh." It must be due to the Shadow-mog."You must've imagined me with this." "(Quietly) Oh, well, you do look good with those eyes." "You say something?" "N-nothing, nothing at all!" Yuka-chan was blushing for some reason.

Yuka-chan took my hand again... "Let's get out of here, Kei-kun." "Yeah."

She dragged me to the exit of this place. I felt something was off about all of this, but I didn't want to break her great mood. So I just stayed quiet and I let her drag me out of here. Why did her dream world take place in a house?

Gekkoukan high, class 2-F, ?

I felt my mind return back to reality. "Kazuki-kun, are you okay?" "Yukari-san, are you okay!?" "Huh, yeah, just fine..." I saw Kei-kun's finger on the forehead. "Um, Kei-kun, your finger." "Oh, sorry." He took his finger off my forehead. (Why do I feel disappointed about that?)

"Alright, looks like we need to Jun and then we're good." Kei-kun starts to rub his hands together. "Time for more dream diving!" "Wait, let me take care of this, Kei-kun..."

I kneed down to the floor in front of Junpei. I raised my hand to the sky, and I drove it to his face. *Smack* "AHHH!" "Good, he's awake." "Aw, what the hell Yuka-tan!?" "I was just waking you up." "Yeah right... I almost close to hitting home base!"

Junpei got up from the floor as he was rubbing his cheek.

"Okay, so this is all of the second-years of SEES. How about the third years, Minako?" "They went to find out what the hell is going on." "Makes sense."

As we were talking about them, somebody barged into the class. "Hey!" It was Kio... "What's the matter, Kio?" "All of you come with me!" "What happen Senpai?" "Just come follow me, and you'll see!"

We all looked at each other, and we began to run to where Akihiko-senpai wanted us to go...

Gekkoukan high, gym,?

We arrived at the gym that was frozen shut. Fuuka had Lucia out.

"What going on Senpai," Minako asked with little care. "I was trying to find an exit until saw someone in there." Minako went to take a peek.

"Huh?" "Something the matter, Fu-chan?" "The reading I'm pickup from the person inside there." "No way!" "Mino-tan, what do ya see?" "What is it Fuuka," Yuka-chan put a hand on her shoulder. "I only felt this reading only a few times, but there is no mistaking it! This reading belongs to-" "Makoto!"

 **Finally, I was able to get a chap done! School has been nailing my free-time. But that isn't important right now. Sup everyone, Proxy's saga here, and I just like to say thank you for the number of people that tuned in for the first chap for this year. (So many views!) Okay, first things first, I just noticed a lot of things while I was in between chaps; story development, character development, etc. Hopefully that this snow queen arc turns out well. (It should if I thought about this right.) So, for now, please follow the story if you want to know when a new chap is uploaded, and leave a comment if you want to. You guys could also PM me for the hell of it, or if you want to discuss something with me, I would gladly love to respond to them. Yep, that wraps it all up in a pretty bow. And as always, until the next time; see ya...**


	33. His dream

Gekkoukan high, Outside of the gym,?

Were trying to break the frozen door. None of our efforts were paying off. "Skeith!" My Persona punched in the door and nothing happened. "Damn, if only we had our Evokers," Junpei yelled out. "Punch faster!" "On it!" I didn't want to argue with Minako, so I had Skeith punch faster But alas, the door was still frozen. "Fuck!" Minako was mad at what I was able to accomplish.

"Hmm... Yamagishi, you told me that you have an Evoker, right," Mitsuru questioned Fuuka. "Yes." "I see. Let Lori use it." "Okay." Fuuka handed over her Evoker to Junpei. "Oh yeah, baby! Hermes!" *Bang* He engulfed the door in flames... The flames cleared up, and still, nothing happened. "What the hell!?" "This is troubling..." No matter what we did the door wasn't gonna break...

"Okay, we need a new plan," Akihiko stated. "Kei, Fuuka, since you two went through one of the three doors that appeared in the school, do you guys know anything that might help?" "Hmm..." "Not really, Kio. We might need to-" "Wait, I think I do! When we were in there, we met a person named Juro Manabu-the guardian of that place. He said something like this, 'Guardian of half of the shards'..." "Yeah, I totally forgot that!" "What the heck does that mean," Jun asked while he was breathing into his hands. "I don't know. Maybe we should pay the guardian a visit..." "Maybe we should, Kio..."

Gekkoukan high, 2-F,?

We all were in class 2-F, the door was still there. It gave off a relaxing wave when you get near it...

"So, umm... How the hell are we gonna do this? We don't have weapons." Jun had a good point. I can summon my Persona and use shadow-mog at the very least. But as for these guys...

Door slides open* "Kazuki, Yamagishi!" I turned around to find M.G. behind us. "Shizuka-chan!" "Rin, where have you been," I asked her. "I was unconscious." "How did you wake up," Jun asked her. "I realized the world I was in wasn't real, so I broke away from the dream." "Amazing, you're truly exceptional Shizuka," Mitsu-chan praised M.G. "Think nothing of it."

While we were all amazed at how M.G. got out of her own dream world, I saw a blue door in the upper right corner of the room. "What the..." I walked towards the door. "Huh? Kazuki-kun," Fu-chan called. "A blue door...?" Minako seems to see it too.

I knocked on the door. *Knock* *Knock* "Hello..." *Door opens* "Ah, my esteemed guest, please come in!" "That voice." Suddenly, a hand pulls me through the door. "AHHHH!"

Thud* "Ugh!" I was on the floor after I was dragged off to god knows where.

"Ahh... Okay, who wants a piece of me now?" "Welcome to the Velvet room." I saw a very familiar looking woman standing in front of me. "Welcome." "Y-Y-You!" "Ah, I see you remember me." "Of course I do! I could never forget someone like you!" "Oh my, am I partaking in the ritual of a woman being hit-on?" "No, you aren't! And the only reason I remember you is that you nearly knocked my head off the last time we met!" "My apologies, but that was for your own safety." "You're not wrong, but still!" "But I do need your undivided attention. Please, take a seat..." "Oh, okay."

I sat in the seat that Elizabeth wanted me to sit in. "I brought you here to give you this..." Elizabeth then unveiled an Evoker. "How did you get this!" "I am capable of many things." "I see... Welp, I'll be taking that now, so..."

I tried to grab the Evoker from Elizabeth's hands, she moved it away from me. "This does, however, come with a price." I do need that Evoker. "Fine, name it." "I want you to fulfill a request for me." "That being?" "Hmm... I have a brother named Theodore, but I and my sister dubbed him 'Theo'. But lately, I was thinking of a second name to call myself. (I was envious that he was able to have one oh so easily.) So, for this quest: I want you to give me a nickname!" "Huh?" I was thinking she wanted me to do something a little more...grandiose. "Is this an issue," Elizabeth questioned. "No, in fact, this is gonna be a piece of cake. Hmm, will Beth do?" "No." "Okay then, how about Lizy?" "I don't believe I am reptilian." Now I think about it, that does sound ridiculous

"Hmm... This is a challenge..." I snapped my fingers. "I got it! How about Liz? It's short and it definitely comes off as cute." "Yes, this name makes me feel as though I have been reborn as a new entity. This will work as a new name!"

She put the Evoker right in front of me again. "Your just reward." "Thanks." I grabbed the Evoker... "I can give you more of those silver-clad guns, or maybe more, if you like" "Yeah, that would be great." "Good, then I'll give you your next quest, now..." Liz continued to tell me about the next one in mind.

Gekkoukan high, class 2-E,?

After I was done talking to Liz, I left the Velvet room. "Kei, why are you just standing there?" "N-No reason," I mumbled my words

I gather my myself and I walked towards everyone else.

"So, we going in there or what," Jun was getting excited about this. "No, only people who can summon. Which would be, Fuuka, Aigis, me, and..." I threw the Evoker I had in my hand over to Yuka-chan. "And Yuakri." "Huh, why me?" "Yeah, that ain't fair," Jun complained, "She can heal ailments, so it would be good not to worry about falling prey to sleep spells." "That is a sound reason," Mitsuru told me.

"Wait, before we go, we'll need weapons." M.G. pulled out a bag of weapons from the teacher's stand. "Where did you get this," I asked her. "I bought them." "From who," I Jun questioned. "There were certain rooms in the school that turned into stores." "Really!?" "Yes, but don't let this hinder us. Let's get going." "You're coming with," Kio said. "Yes, I am." She drew an Evoker out. Why did she bring hers too?

Yuka-chan and I grabbed some weapons from the bag, then we went over to the door. "Let's go!" "(Unison) Right!" I pushed open the door to the dungeon of Hypnos...

Hypnos dungeon,?

We were fighting like crazy while we were exploring in the dungeon. monsters were popping out of nowhere; they were pretty tough to fight too... (They were also smarter than shadows are.)

"Hey, Fuuka." "Yes?" "I need to know how your new ability works, for real." "All right, but I'll tell you telepathically, just in case.." "Cool." Fuuka then made a connection between her and me. _"I can only use it two times a day. Also, when the countering factor happens, it's completely random." "You serious!?" "Mhh." "Well then, we got extremely lucky when you hit him with a fire spell." "Indeed we were..."_

We continued down the hallway. I was still thinking about Yuka-chan's dream world. She knew about my mother... I wanted to know why. "Everyone, these two rooms." Fuuka pointed to two separate doors, one near us, and another one down the hall.

"What about them?" "They're filled with something inside them, probably items." I hoasted my sword to my shoulder. "I'll go in this room," I told everyone. "I'll go with him.," Yukari declared. "Then we'll be going to the other room," Shizuka stated. "Meet up with us after you're done." "Right."

The others went to the other room, Yuka-chan and I entered the room we were checking out. There were chest in this room, most of them had money (going into dating money) and better weapons than what we had...

"Oi, Yuka-chan." "Yeah." "I need you to tell me something." "What is it?" "...How did you know about my mother?" "Oh..." Yuka-chan went quite after I asked her. "Well...I took a peek at the files we had on you." "On me?" "I wanted to know how you were able to relate to me back on Yakushima..." So, she got curious about me, huh. "I'm so sorry!" "Nah, it's alright. You poured your heart out to me when you didn't need to, so it's fair that you got to know about me." "Are you sure?" "Yeah... But next, ask, and you'll receive." "*Giggle* Okay, I will." Yuka-chan held her hands to her back while resting her bow on her shoulder.

"Hey, what's your mom like," Yuka-chan asked. "Oh, I really can't remember, I was only with her for three years before she died." Yukari didn't comment on that, we were quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "For what?" "For being insensitive." "You weren't being insensitive on purpose, so it's alright..." She had her head facing the ground, I couldn't see her face past her hair, but I was able to see her mouth, I think she was smiling. "What about your mom, Yuka-chan?" Her smile turned into a sullen look on her face. "...My mom and I aren't really on good terms." She turned around and leaned against the wall. "She and I don't really talk much, well, I don't try to talk to her." "Why not?" I sat down on the floor. "It was after my dad died. Before I liked my mother, she, my dad and I were pretty happy together. But after my dad died, she became a mess. She began jumping from guy to different guy; failing on most of the engagements she gets into..."

She put her hand to face, wiping it repeatedly. "*Sniff* I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get all emotional. I just... Remembered better days." I had lowered my head. I would've never guessed that she had that much baggage. "I'm sorry, that sounds terrible." I couldn't say anything more than that; I didn't know what to say. "Yeah, I just wish she understood how this would make dad feel..."

I looked at my phone clock. We had to get going now. "We should start heading out now." "Oh, yeah." I got up from the floor, wiping my pants of dust. "Hey, I don't know if it helps, but if you wanna talk, I'm willing to lend an ear." Yuka-chan gave me a thumbs up. "Thank you, I'll try not to be a bother." She was smiling although looking a bit forced, it was something at least.

We went down the hallway, but we stopped dead in our tracks when we saw someone in front of us.

"So, you brought more people I see..." "Yeah, we did." "This is foolish, we all know how that'll end! You might as well not have come or had wakened up from your dreams." "We came here so we get out of the school! And I'm glad I woke up!" Yukari seemed determined. "Oh, why are you telling me that? Didn't you enjoy the dream you were in; I know you did, so don't lie." "You're right, I did. But we can't live there forever, I have a life to live! So I can't be there forever!"

Juro seemed displeased by what Yukari said. " 'A life to live'! So, you think all dreams should be something to be awakened from?" "Yeah, so what!" "Tch!"

He turned around and started walking away from us. "Fine! If you want to continue with this foolish exploration, fine! I'll be waiting for you all in my domain!" After that, he disappeared...

"What was that all about?" Yuka-chan took out the arrow she had in her bow. Fuuka remained quiet, she seemed as if she was deep in thought.

"Hey, we need to keep moving." "Shizuka-san is right," Aigis moved in front of us. "I will lead the way," she stated. "Aigis, I'm in charge here," I told her. "That may be a fact that can be used for the Tartarus exploration, but this is a different scenario." "Seriously Aigis, we don't have any time for this," I rebuked. "Why are you in a hurry?" "Because we just don't have any time for this!" "Last time I checked, there were no time constraints."

This argument was going on for a nearly a minute now, and M.G. seemed to have been getting fed-up with it. "Enough! You two are so stubborn. I'll be the leader for this, and that's that!" M.G. turned to us. "And if you have a problem with this decision, then feel free to remain quiet!" "Yes, ma'am!" She was acting too serious; it was some scary shit I tell you...

...

I was chasing demons around the dungeon as Shizuka ordered everyone to look around the floor to find a door or some stairs. I was standing in front of a door with stars decorated on. There was a more welcoming breeze to it than any other door here. I opened the door, slipping through it. It was dark inside, nothing in sight; just darkness...

"What's this?" There was something glowing in the middle of the room, I went over to touch it, but when my hand was close to it the thing just suddenly exploded. Images were flooding my mind, violently showing me things, blood, a dead body, and a demon. **"Use me!"**

"W-what the hell is this," I yelled as I was stumbling backwards, trying to make the visions go away. I tripped towards the door to this room. When I was out of the room, the visions went away. But my head was still pounding... "Shit, that was- what was that!?" I couldn't think of an answer, my mind was cluttered up.

"I need to find the others!" I got up from the floor, I used the wall to support me...

...

I was walking by myself in this hollow corridor, searching for Kazuki. Yamagishi can't get a hold of him so she's sending me to his last known whereabouts.

 _"Shizuka-chan."_ "Yes?" _"Is it okay if I ask you a question?"_ "Go ahead..." _"Um, what did you dream about? I'm sorry, I-I don't want to make you uncomfortable,"_ Yamagishi stammered. _"Because to be honest, I feel as though we know less about you than you know more about us..."_ She's right but I wanted it to stay that way, in truth it doesn't really matter; once the Dark Hour is gone, so will I. So what will it hurt to tell her?

"...A playground." _"Huh?"_ "I dreamt of a playground. It was pretty quiet for a place for children, but I think it was because it was sunset. However, there were two kids there, one was quiet for most of the time the other was easily excited about almost anything. Both of them sitting on the jungle gym when they wanted to take a break. When they were up there they thought they were on top of the world..." _"Were you one of the kids," Yamagishi asked me._ "Yes, I was the quiet one, obviously enough. As for the other one...I couldn't see his face; it was as if something was preventing me from doing so." The face was all blurry. That dream wasn't just a dream, but a compilation of memories, of greater days...

On the other end, I heard Yamagishi laugh. "What, what's the matter?" _"Nothing, I just thought it was funny you would dream about something as cute as that."_ "Why is it such a big deal, am I weird for it?" _"No, in fact, I think it makes you seem more like a girl."_ "Huh, what does that mean," I asked her, feeling somewhat insulted. _"Um, I didn't mean to insult you, I just meant you don't..."_ Yamagishi went quiet for a moment. " _Hold on a moment,_ _I found Kazuki-kun. He's right around the corner!"_

I ran around the corner, I saw Kazuki was leaning on a wall. "Kazuki!" I reached him, he seemed to have been dreary. "Kazuki, are you okay," I yelled as I tried to use my sensing ability on him. He seemed to be okay, he just seems like he just woke up from something...

"Sup, Shizuka *yawn*, where are we?" "Still in the dungeon, I'm afraid." He shoved off the wall. "Well, in that case, we should get going to Juro and to the true guardian of this place." What Kazuki said raised an eyebrow, but I didn't really feel like asking; we'll see what he means soon...

...

After a half an hour of M.G. giving out battle instructions and doing navigation, we finally arrived at Juro's domain. I can feel a very relaxing wave of air coming my way.

"This looks pretty cool!" "Careful, we don't know what's on the other side." "You're right." I put my hand on the door. "Kei-kun, what are you doing?" "Hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained..." "The threat makes a point," I growled at that remark. "Whatever, let's do this!" I opened the door...

Juro's domain,?

We all walked in to find that the room is pitch-black. "I sense no lifeforms in this room," Aigis stated. "Ditto," I added.

When we were walking down a random path, the walls, the floors, and the roof changed the scenery. "What the...!?" The whole room looked like the cosmos of the universe; this was breathtaking to look at. "THIS IS AMAZING," I yelled, amazed by the cosmos scenery. "Quiet down," Shizuka reprimended me. "Sorry..."

My voice echoed along the vast domain... I saw someone walking from the other side of this vastness.

"So, you finally arrived..." "You!" "Yes, me." Yukari cocked an arrow into her bow. "You seem jumpy?" "Well, I don't take kindly to people that mess with me!" "I guess you would be the person with the most spunk," Juro pointed out. "You wanna see spunk!" "Yukari, wait, I need to-"

She shot an arrow at Juro. "Io-Garula!" *Bang* She shot a burst of wind against the arrow to make it fly faster. "Western blow." Juro's Persona destroyed the arrow in one go. "Tch, lame!" "Rise up!" Aigis summoned her Persona, and so was I. "Skeith!" My Persona was behind Aigis's Persona. "Kill rush!" "Hit em hard!" "Flurry stab!" The Personas interlocked attacks.

"An opportune time!" Aigis rolled out her barrels... "Aigis, don't do that, Kei-kun-" "Firing!" Aigis shot at Juro's Persona and mine. *Stab* *Stab* "ARGGHHHHH!" "KAZUKI-KUN!" "Kei-kun!" I felt the gunshots impact on my back and my side. "AGHHHH!" I was in intense pain, and it was because of Aigis...

"Kei-kun, I'm coming!" "ACK!" I was spitting out blood. "Diarama!" Yukari was trying to heal me up. "Kei-kun, are you okay, can you talk!" "*Groaning*" I was still spitting out some blood. "Aigis, what the hell!?" Yukari demanded an answer, but it didn't matter since Aigis was fighting against Juro.

"Is that better Kei-kun?" "Y-Yes. Thank you." "Your welcome."

I tried to get up from the floor, but I still felt kinda weak.

"Flurry stab!" "Evasive action!" Aigis dodged the attack flawlessly. She was gonna kick Juro. "Dark slumber!" A wave of black fog spread throughout the area. And for some reason, my eyes were getting all heavy. "Kazuki-don't-sleep!" I could barely hear M.G.'s voice. I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore, so, I closed them shut.

...

When I opened my eyes, I was lying on a black floor, it was cold and hard. I pushed myself up, now I was looking around in this dark void. Where is this, where am I...?

"Kazuki-kun." A voice called my name, somewhere in this place. "Kazuki-kun." My name was lightly called again, this time it came from behind me. "Oi, who's there!" I ran towards the voice, it kept calling to me and calling. After a while, the voice stopped and a figure appeared before me. The person had teal hair... "Fu-chan?" When I turned her around to face me, I had felt every sense in my body dull.

W-what is this, this can't be..." She had blood coming from her mouth and a stab wound in her chest. I desperately crattled her in my arms, thinking that it'll somehow stop the bleeding. "F-fu-chan, what happened." She wasn't answering. "Come on what's wrong, answer me, please!" My voice was breaking as her blood was spilling her wound and mouth onto my clothes. The blood was flooding the floor; like a sea...

"What the hell...!?" In front of me, there were other bodies in front of us. "Everyone," I cried as I realized that it was the SEES members bodies. All lifeless, nothing that would consider them alive. My breathing was accelerating, my body felt heavy, heavier than it ever was before...

 **"You lacked the power to protect them."** "I did," I question, my voice cracking. **"No, not 'lacked', you wasted your power. Use your power to destroy all your enemies; use me!"** Something in my body was building, it was like a raging storm was happening inside me...

"I'm sorry Mr. Kazuki, you should've stayed out of this place." I heard Juro from behind me. "...The Dark slumber spell didn't work on anyone except you, I guess you fell for my trap on the lower floors." I did respond to him, I only stood up in silence. "I don't know what you saw in here, and really, its none of my business. But now is my time..." He lunged himself at me, putting his hand in front of himself. "...To have your body!" When his fingers touched my head something stopped him in his tracks. "What is this!" Something white was Shielding my head. It had looked like white flames in a way. "What is this, this isn't a Personas doing; what are you!?" He tried ripping through the white but when he used all his power it had repealed him away from me...

"That's impossible, why did it work!?" Juro was troubled by my resistance. I felt power coming to me. **"Use me!"** I felt shadow-mog! "*Gasping*" Juro was gasping and panting heavily. "Those eyes, they're the same as-" I dashed towards him but he snapped his fingers with a scared shriek.

...

Juro's domain,?

"Western blow!" I saw a blast go near me. "(Echoed) Garula!" "(Echoed) Kill rush!" I forced my eyes open.

"*Groaning*" "Kazuki-kun!? Are you awake!?" "Yeah, I am..." "Oh, thank goodness!" "Yeah, now I can get to fighting!" I ran over to Juro with me booting up my Shadow-mog." "Here goes...!" I dashed at Juro, readying my attack. I pulled back my arm, making sure that the impact of it would be heavy. "Huh," Juro's attention was on me now. "Palladion, pull back!" I drove my fist towards Juro's chest. *Thump* "UGH!"

I sent him flying and when he hit the ground he was rolling on the floor. *Thud* He seemed to be knocked out flat. I heard footsteps coming from behind me. "Kazuki, are you okay," Shizuka asked me, planting her hand on my shoulder. I took off my hood and I turned to look at her. "I'm absolutely fine," I told her as I gave her a small smile.

"(Grunting) What was that!?" "That was my fist hitting you." No, I meant those flames and your eyes!" He was fuming with anger. It felt like a wrath-filled fire was looking my way...

"Hypnos-Makouha!" The Persona came at us with spears of light. "Everyone dodge!" I equipped Skeith's arms to halve the damage. M.G. dodged the attack but Yukari wasn't going get out of the way in time. "Yukari, move!" "Too late for that!" Yukari aimed an arrow towards the light attack. "Hya!" The arrow flew straight into the light arrow. But while it did hit the arrow, it just split into two halves. "The hell!" "Tch!" I had no other choice...

"Kazuki-kun?" I heard Fuuka say my name, but I already move away from her. And by the time I stopped, I was in front of Yukari and on the receiving end of the attack. "Kei-kun, get out of the way!" "Don't worry, I'll be fine..." When the two arrows arrived near me I swiped away at them at break-neck speed. "Whoa! How did you do that Kei-kun?" I didn't answer Yuki-chan's question. Instead, I ran right for Juro.

"Eastern impact!" The attack exploded in front of my face. It did damage but not much... "Megidola! The almighty spell was formed and was heading my way. "Tch!" I couldn't dodge the attack, so I tackled the attack head-on. *Boom* "*Grunting*" The attack hit me like a brick wall, but I won't let this stop me.

"*Grunting* I was passing through the spell, inch by inch... "Just give up already, you aren't going to be able to withstand this for much longer!" "*Grunting*" "...Did you hear me, I said-" "Shut..." I was finally able to get through the attack. "...Up!" I was about to hit him, but his Persona blocked my fist with its arm. "...!" The Persona then uppercut me with its left foot. "Ugh!" I was sent flying away. *Thud* "Thank you, Hypnos." It just nodded

I got up from the floor after that last attack. "Huh?" I felt the surge of power go away. "Shit!" "Did your power go away," M.G. walked up behind me. "Yeah, it did." "I see... However, your limit has extended." "Really?" "You didn't notice?"

M.G. looked over at Juro's Persona...

"This is not how I predicted the situation was going to go..." She draws her Evoker out. "Shizuka-chan, are you going to-" "Summon, yes." "Really, this gonna be so cool!" I pumped my fist and flipped my hood up.

She puts the Evoker to her head. "Aigis, Takeba, get ready!" "Right!" "Ready to initiate battle!" Yukari set her Evoker to her head, Aigis is starting her summoning sequence, and so was I.

"You all wish to combat me, fine... But I won't hold back." "Nor will we," M.G. retorted. "Summon!" "Skeith!" "Io" *Bang* "Palladion!" "...Sophrosyne." *Bang*

* * *

 **(Note: there were a shit ton of changes to this chap except to this AN because I wanted to preserve this, so yeah, you can ignore this if you want.)**

 **Okay, just gotta get this part done and- Oh, hi, guys, didn't see you there. Hi, Proxy's saga, and I like to say that I am sorry that I wasn't able to upload for two weeks straight. (I am uploading this on a Sunday, so yeah.) I was feeling rather sick, so I couldn't muster the strength to do a chap those weeks. But don't worry, cuz now we can finally get back on track! But while I was sick, I was doing a ton of research for the series because I thought I should brush up on somethings. (So much research was done!) So anyway, Juro's Persona evolved from Hypnos: The god of sleep to the Greek god Morpheus: The god of dreams. This is due to Juro's new dream, or strong new desire to kill the man who killed him. Also, Shizu-chan is going to summon her Persona for the first time in the fic, took me long enough.**

 **Shizuka: I think you didn't know what Persona I should've had.**

 **Proxy: Shut up! They don't know that!**

 **Shizuka: Just saying...**

 **Proxy: Sure you are. Now shoo! Go away!**

 **Shizuka: Fine...**

 **Heh, heh, heh... Ignore her, she's just crazy. So, without anything else left to cover, I hope you guys had a good time reading this, and until the next chap; see ya...**


	34. Minako and Natsuki's duo venture

**Sorry for the very late update, guys! (School is a bitch to me when it comes to scheduling.) Hopefully, I don't upload this late too often. (Hopefully...) So, without a further delay, let's get started!**

Gekkoukan high, outside of the gym

I was trying to break the ice on the door. I heard the ice breaking but nothing was working. "*Grunting*" The ice wasn't breaking whatsoever. *Impact against ice* "DAMN IT," I screamed in anger. Makoto was right there and I couldn't do anything!

"Shit, SHIT!" If only I had my an Evoker... "Tch, I still can't reach you, even after all this time... This is such shit!"

I kneeled down in front of the gym door...

"If only I-" Wait! I just remembered something. Fuuka and Kazuki mentioned something about shards.

"Hmm..." I was thinking about what to do... "That blue door!" I remembered the blue door in 2-F that I saw Kazuki go into. "...Maybe I should pay it a visit."

With that in mind, I left for the blue door; I think it has what I need...

Class 2-F,?

I was inside of my classroom with the blue door in sight. It a appears that no sees the door. (except me...)

I put my hand on the doorknob but it didn't budge at all.

Knock* *knock* *knock* "Hellooo?" Nothing was happening. "Hello!" I started banging on it instead. "Hey, Minako, what are you-" "Be quiet!" "..."

I saw the door open a tiny bit. Finally! "Please, come in..." This voice, it was...familiar... And as the voice asked me, I went in through the blue door.

The velvet room,?

When I entered through the door, the first thing I saw was a giant clock on top of a giant cage. (Is this an elevator?)

"Welcome..." I looked down to see the person sitting in front of me... "You!" "Ah, I see you remember me!" "Yeah, and let me tell you, I got a beef to settle with you!" I walked over to with my fist balled up. "Before the violence begins, I like to ask you something." "What!?" "Why do you do what the Crawling darkness bids?" "Huh?" "Just answer, please." "Why: because I have no choice! If I don't, he'll-" "How can you be so certain about that?" "Huh?"

She opened the book on her lap... "You are a wild card; a person that is like the number zero." "Zero?" "...And yet, you are a puppet of a chaotic god," she stated. "What are you even talking about!?" "I'm saying you are supposed to hold infinite potential for your future and many others, but yet due to your decisions, you are locking away that potential; locking away all other potential futures."

"I-I don't care about that! What about Makoto?" "Ah, yes. As I said before: why would he hurt a Wildcard; he could use them for his own goal, you are a perfect example..." "Well, I-" "Have you never thought of this before? Have you only done what he asked for, like a pawn; no will of your own whatsoever?" "You don't think I know that! But what other choice do I have," I yelled in anger...

"That is for you to decide..." "Is it really?" "Yes, and hopefully whatever decisions you make will lead you down somewhere, whether good or bad; that is your responsibility," Elizabeth closes her book and throws something at me. "A key...?" "After this event is over, I want you to tell me what you want to do." "What do you mean," I was confused by what she meant. "I mean we can help you. We can save you from the crawling darkness." "R-Really!?"

"Yes, but we can't do it yet. My master is better suited for ridding you of this curse." "C-can you really?" "Yes, he can." I felt like I was about to cry but I bottled it up for now...

I gripped the key in my hand, tightly.

"Right, I guess I better get going then." "Oh, do you wish to venture into a tower, by yourself?" "Tower?" "*Gasp* I completely forgot," she said after putting her hands over her mouth.

"As you see, the doors that appeared in your classroom and among the other ones, are connected to an individual tower." "So, those towers are dungeons, like Tartarus," I said with a raised my eyebrow. "Exactly, if you want to go into one, I advise going to the one in the room: 2-E." "Why?" "You'll see..." Elizabeth looked at the clock behind her.

"You should get going on your quest." "Okay, and thank you," I bowed my head. "You don't need to thank me, just go and save our guest." "Got it!" "...And do be careful. the towers aren't anything to laugh at; especially the one you are going to." "Okay, I'll go in prepared!"

I walked towards the door with a ton of conviction right now. "Also, catch..." I saw two cards flying my way. I caught them. "What are these?" "Items that will aid you in your quest." "I-I see." There was nothing on the cards; they were blank. However, I felt a sort of energy coming from it.

"Well, I should get going." "I wish you luck on your mission to saving Yuki-sama." I opened the door and walked out of there with some hope. I can do! I will rescue Makoto and myself from this nightmare.

I watched as the female guest leave the room... I heard one of the doors open behind me and my master appeared. "How did it go," my master asked with intrigue in his voice. "Yes, she seemed very keen on our offer." "Good..."

I pondered for a minute on what we were doing. "Master." "Yes?" "Are we doing the right thing," I questioned. "We'll have to wait and see; if she is able to come back from the clutches of the crawling darkness, we must help her steer away from that path."

My master was convinced that this was the best way to help her, and so was I.

"However, why didn't you want me to give her the silver-clad weapon," I showed my master the Persona summoning tool. "If she still has the power of the Wildcard she will most likely be able to still be able to tap into that power; maybe she will still be able to draw power with her current bond with young Kazuki." "Either way, I do hope she is able to find her way back." "As do I..."

"Elizabeth." "...Yes?" "You are still in my seat." "*Gasp* Oh my! It as humans say, 'it totally slip my mind'." I let out a giggle and it seemed to have made my master somewhat tired.

Gekkoukan high, 2-E,?

I was standing in front of the door to the tower. It had a deathly feeling around it, however, I didn't feel uncomfortable around it. I got some items from some of the stores here before heading in there.

"Alright, let's go!" "Wait!" "Huh?" I saw a tanned girl walk in front of me and block the door. "You need something," I asked with some irritation in my voice. "You're one of the girls from the dorm?" "Yeah." "...Do you know where Fuuka and Kazuki are? I can't find them anywhere." "Nope, no idea." "Who do you think you're messing with, cuz it ain't me!" I don't have time to waste here.

"Natsuki, right?" "Yes." "Okay, listen: I am going to go through this door, you will let me go through that door, is this a problem?" "Yeah, because you're shady as hell," she spat out. I was growling out of irritation at this point. "Screw this!" I walked over to the Natsuki girl and I pushed her out of the way. "Ahh!" "Serves you right for being in my way!"

I put my right-hand on the door and I pushed on it. "W-wait!" "What the?" Something grabbed my leg before I entered the dungeon.

Thanatos tower,?

When I opened my eye, I was in an eerier corridor. It was darkly lit but had purple lighting on the walls, ceiling, and floor.

"So this is the inside." "...The inside of what?" I heard a voice coming from below me. "Oh, what in the hell!?" It was Natsuki!

After a couple of seconds of her panicking, she began to calm down and I was able to explain what was happening.

"I-I see... So we went through that door in the classroom earlier?" "Yes, but I didn't want there to be an 'us' here." "You sayin' this is my fault!?" "Yes, I am," I said outright. "Tch, whatever, I'll just leave this place!" "Didn't you notice?" "Notice what?" "...We can't go back now." "Like hell, I can't!" "Go ahead then, try it, but how are you gonna do it with no door." "Huh!?"

It's true, I noticed that there was no door while she was panicking; we're trapped here.

"Come on," I said while holding my weapon. "You wanna explore this place?" "Yes, I do," my words were starting to come out more than irritated...

"...If you don't come along there is no telling what might happen to you." "W-what," Natsuki stammered. "Yeah, I think they're monsters in here." "Y-y-you're lying!" "Really, does it look like I'm lying; look where we are." "..."

I started walking...

"Coming or not," I said with no care. "Y-yes!" Natsuki started picking up the pace to catch up with me.

I was able to destroy most of the enemies in here with every swing of my naginata, and Natsuki made sure to stay away from the fighting. (Maybe a bit too far...)

"Shit, this ridiculous!" "Are you okay, Arisato?" "Yeah, peachy! If only I had my Persona..." "Persona...what's that?" Oh, she heard me. "Well you see, a Persona is like a weapon of sorts." "Hmm... Why do I get the feeling that isn't right." "How would you know," I retorted. "I feel like I seen one before." "Hmph, yeah right." "But it's true!" This was starting to interest me...a bit.

"Oh, how do you know about Persona?" "I...don't know, I just felt like I heard it from somewhere before." "Not good enough!" "Well, I don't know," she yelled out...

"Well, this is boring." "W-what is!?" "You." "Huh," she seemed angered by that. "Yeah, I feel tired talking to you. (You're kinda boring.)" "Why I would-" "You 'would' what, hit me," I laughed after saying that... "If you try to touch a single hair on my head, I'll break you!" "..." That shut her up quickly.

"Okay, let's keep going." We walked in silence as if nothing happened...

After fighting a few battles and collecting some items, I kicked open a door with elegance. "Boom, bitch," I yelled out. I was scooping the area out. So far it looks good.

"Is it safe?" "Yeah, it is." Unfortunately...

" **Why hello there"** "What the-" I jerked my neck at the door to our right side. **"Did I scare you?"** There was someone standing in front of the door we were looking at. **"Are you having fun in my tower?"** "Yeah, having the time of my life in this godforsaken place!" **"But there is a god here."** "You, right?" **"BINGO!"**

The revealed himself, but this wasn't a person, in fact, I had no idea what it is. It had nothing or anything out of the ordinary; it had no physical features at all.

This "thing" walked over to us with a dark grin on its face. "You wanna fight because I don't mind duking it out!" **"Hmph, go ahead and try it, if you like?** As he said, I swiped my blade his way. **"Stupid little girl!"** When the blade struck him, the blade part disappeared. "What the?" "How did it do that," Natsuki questioned. **"I am immune to your petty attacks."** "Tch, shit!"He was laughing at my frustration. "What the hell are you, you creep," Natsuki yelled. **"Hmph, don't you yell at me, you snake of a human being!"** "What did you just say!?" I stop Natsuki from doing something stupid. **"What, don't want to mess with someone stronger than you...?"**

After this thing said that, there was an electrical field going off around it. When the electricity disappeared, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, because I saw another Natsuki in front of me. "What the...!?" **"...I can only mess with people weaker than me, because I know I a weak, sad, and feeble human being."** This thing was mocking her to a 'T'. "Hey, don't you dare mock me!" **"Too bad, I just did."**

The Natsuki-look-alike walked back over to the door. "W-wait!" The monster clicked its tongue. **"If you wanna find me, Minako, you need to get to my domain."** He pointed to the candles. **"You better choose the right candle to proceed past this door..."**

...And with that, the door shut behind that thing.

"What was that thing!?" "I have no idea..." I broke my concentration away from the shape-shifting monster, but now on the candles. I went over to the door but it wouldn't open.

"Choose the right candle to proceed... What the hell does that mean?" "Maybe it wants you to blow one of them out?" "..." I was skeptical about this whole thing, but if I want to go on I need to blow one of them out!

"Hmm... The left one, ah, it doesn't matter." I blew out the candle on the left.

"*Gasp*" I felt something being ripped away from my body. "Minako!? Are you okay?" "Y-yeah." Something was torn away from me; I can feel it. It felt like something important to me. Wait, don't tell me; it was my Persona!

"L-let's get going," I stuttered with a shiver going down my spine. "You don't look so good. We should probably take a break for now." "No, we are not doing that!" "But, you-" "I SAID NO!" My voice echoed throughout the room... I was getting sick of this room already.

"Come on, let's go." "Fine," she had a bit of a tone in her voice, but I didn't care. All I really cared about was getting these damn shards and getting Makoto back.

Fighting the monsters became more difficult than it was before thanks to me having no Persona. (And with my weapon being broken.) I was struggling against the enemies I was facing off against.

I saw a monster trying to hit me on the sides with its claws. "Minako, watch out!" "I know, you idiot!" I tried to get out of the way and for the most part, I was able to, but I wasn't far enough. *Slice* "ARGGHHH!" The claw sliced at my side, blood was leaking out at an alarming rate.

"Ahhh! Shit, this hurt so much!" "Minako!" The pain was searing. Why is so painful? This should be nothing to me; I had taken heavier and sharper attacks than this.

"...Am I gonna die here? If that's the case, I'm sorry Makoto. I'm sorry that I couldn't get you back; I'm sorry that I couldn't keep our promise to each other... I failed you."

I saw lion/snake thing walked over to me. I was too injured to move. "Come on then, let's get this over with...!" The monster's growl was louder than before. (Guess it's exciting.) I shut my eyes so I can get a clear picture of Makoto in my head one last time... I was thinking about Makoto but thoughts of him disappeared all of a sudden.

"Oi, Mino-chan, are you gonna die here?" That voice, it was Kei's! "I asked: are you gonna die here?" "I-I can't go on." "Are you sure about that? I thought you were fighting for Makoto; how can you fight for him if you can't fight for yourself, right now. Maybe you should take some examples from me" "(Quietly) You're wrong." "Huh?." "I SAID YOU ARE WRONG!" "Oh, how so?"

"'Take an example from you', don't make me laugh! You couldn't even protect Fuuka against me, so who are you to tell me that I'm not capable of fighting for nobody; especially Makoto!"

Kei began to disappear from my vision with a smile on his face, and before I realized it, I was awake and with the monster staring me down. "What you scared," I gave a dirty smirk at this monstrous piece of shit in front of me. "Huh, what the?" I saw a card in my hand. Wait, this looks like one of the cards that Elizabeth gave me. A blue mist was surrounding it. This card was producing power. And when I take a closer look, there was something on the card this time. "Wait, this is- **"Summon thou!"** When I heard the Persona's voice, it made me smirk a little. "Oh, I plan on it!"

I got up from the floor and I held out my arm with the floating card on my palm. "Minako...?" "I feel your power and your presence... Come to me, Orpheus!" I crushed the card and a Persona appeared to me. Orpheus; Makoto's Persona.

"Minako is that a Persona!?" "Orpheus: destroy this damned thing!" Orpheus swung his lyre at the monster's jaw. (If it has one?) *Bam* The attack sent the monster flying away from me. "Dia!" The wound on my side was starting to close up. "Ah, that's much better. Now, time for me to make an epic comeback!" I had the Persona embed his instrument with its own flames. "Finish it!" The monster tried to claw at Orpheus but he dodged. "You're boned." The lyre slammed down on the Lion/snake's back...

"Gotcha!" The Lion/snake started to fade out...

"Whoa, was that a Persona!?" "Yeah, it was," I said with a smirk on my face. I was smirking at the fact that I was able to summon my Persona without an Evoker. "Hehehe, now who's so special now, Kei!"

I felt like I can do anything now...

"Minako, what about Kei?" "Huh?" "...Why did you bring up Kei?" "None of your business." "It kind of is." "What, because you're friends with her with his girlfriend." "Yeah!" "Fine, I'll tell you." I cleared my throat...

"When I met Kei Kazuki for the first time, I thought he was a cool guy, but as with all things that are affected by time, so does opinions. And my opinion on Kei has changed." I put on an expressionless face and looked at Natsuki dead center in the eye. "...I hate him." At this point, I wasn't confused about how I felt about Kei. I now Realize that I dislike him oh so very much...

"You hate him, why?" "Let's just say, he cost me something." "Was it the eye," she said with a confidence "Yes, he cut it and now, I can't see out of it." "..." "And you know what, why do I have to suffer? Why doesn't he; can you answer that?" "N-no." Just as I thought, not a single person would be able to understand. "...But you better not hurt Fuuka." "Say what?" "I said you better not hurt Fuuka," Natsuki yelled in anger. "I did plan to," I stated. "Cuz if you do, I'll break you!"

Natsuki was starting to surprise me a bit, but not too much.

"Hmph, let's get going." "Whatever!" We walked down the corridors of this tower, trying to find that shape-shifting bastard's domain...

It took some time but I found the domain room. When we entered the room it smelled and felt like death.

"I-I don't like this place." "Then wait outside." "N-no! The monsters would kill me if I was alone." **"How correct you are"** "I see you decided to peered your ugly head," I mocked. **"Hey now, you shouldn't disrespect me like that..."** When he withdrew from the shadows, we were able to see who was masquerading as. **"...And yourself."** "Wow, you do know how to copy off of people and from a certain God." **"At least I didn't copy one thing: being a god's pawn."** "A pawn, huh?" This bastard isn't wrong, but...

 **"So, am I wrong?"** "Yeah, you are." **"Oh...?"** "I was only working with that asshole for one reason: to get Makoto back! So, you can go ahead and mock me all you like, but I'm still going to get those damn shards; and I break your stupid ass to get them!" The look-alike had an irritated look on its face. **"You think it's that simple!? You get Makoto Yuki, then what? You'll still be a lap dog for a chaotic god!"** I saw this monster not a couple minutes ago, making fun of me, but now, his cool was broken. "...So much for me not disrespecting you, right?" **"Why you..."** "Hey, ain't disguising as other people being a snake, or are you 'special'; cuz if you are you should have said so. Loser," Natsuki retorted. **"Tch, I grow tired of this conversation!"** "I am too, but you don't see me bitchin' about it!" Natsuki is seriously making me reconsider my opinion of her now.

 **"Then let's get this started then! Thanatos, lend me your power to me-Doppelganger!"** Cracks in the ground began to appear. After a few seconds of the ground shaking, four tentacles appeared. "Eww!" "That's all? Some power right there," I stated in a mocking tone. **"You will die a painful, slow and an excruciating death!"** "Hmph..."

A card was floating in front of me. "Orpheus!" I swiped my hand through the card, then Orpheus appeared. "Destroy him," I commanded. He flew over to doppelganger... **"Witness, my power!"** The tentacles were flying towards the Persona. "Maragi!" Orpheus sent several fireballs flying over to the enemy after stroking some of the string of his lyre. *Boom* Several of them hit the tentacles, while some of them burned, others were extinguished. "Damn, some of them nulled the fire!?" **"Surprised are we?"** The tentacles were coming back for round two, but they weren't going for my Persona, but for me instead... "Orpheus: fend them off!" He came flying back over to me in a heartbeat. He was fighting off the tentacles despite number gap.

 **"This is getting me nowhere. I think it's time for a new target."** Before Orpheus could hit another tentacle, they all maneuvered around him and flew past me. "Huh!?" "Oh shit!" They were heading for Natsuki! **"I'm gonna kill you first. Because of that nasty tongue of yours!"** "Shit! Orpheus" I had him race over to her. "Natsuki: move away from the tentacles!" She was running as fast as she could. "*Gasp*" *Thud* She stumbled over herself. "S-stay away!" **"Where did that smart mouth go; was that all a front?"** The tentacles were nearing Natsuki... "Orpheus: Maragi!" Three fireballs struck the tentacles, however, only two of them were hurt by the fire spell. **"This is the end for you, weakling!"** "Not happening!" Orpheus was in front of the tentacle but it was too late to stop it. *Stab* "AHHH! the two tentacles impaled the Persona's body. "*Gasping in pain*" "Mi-Minako, you protected me!" "*Pant* *Pant* *Pant*" "W-why?" "Because, I-" **"What a new, surprising production."** The tentacles withdrew from Orpheus' body.

I was panting heavily due to the sharp pain coursing through my leg and arm. "Minako, answer me!" "I don't know," I yelled in annoyance. "I just didn't have time to think it through, fully." "..." "...I'll be fine, so do me a favor and stand back; this is gonna be where it really starts." "O-okay!" Natsuki moving away from Doppel and me... "Minako, knock him dead!" "I plan on it...!"

I began healing myself. **"Aww, well it appears that the cold and ruthless Minako does have a heart,"** Doppelganger mocked. **"Too bad it won't save you from this!"** A black mist appeared below Doppel's feet. **"Mudoon!"** A dark circle appeared in front of me... **"Say goodbye, Mino-chan. I hope you see Makoto in hell when-"** "Shut up," I said calmly.

 **"Huh?"** I summoned another card in front of me and I crushed it. **"DIE"**

The dark spell in front of me broke apart when I swiped it away. **"What the-"** I had swapped Orpheus with a different Persona by destroying that other card; Samael...

"...Die here, screw that! I'm not gonna let that happen!" **"You little wrench!"** "You better save up your insults, because you haven't seen nothing yet!"

I had the Samael card floating in my hand. **"Do you think you still have a chance!?"** "Sure do."

The stare down between Doppel and me only fulled the tension if this battle...

 **"ARISATO!"** "ARISE, SAMAEL!" *Crush*

My battle for Makoto has begun, and I intend on winning...!

 **The next chap will be a side by side of the two different fights happening in the towers, so please stay tuned for that. Sorry, but due to fatigue, I'm gonna cut this short. Please follow or like the story, and also leave a review for this chap and chaps before this. (Maybe even future ones?) So, with that being said, until the next chap; see y** a.


	35. Battle in two fronts

"Sophrosyne." *Bang* My Persona materialized from my psyche. "Morpheus: Western blast!" The unknown energy. "Rukukaja!" Aigis cast on everyone else. (Except me.) "ARGHH!" _"Kazuki-kun!"_ "Kazuki, are you okay!? "No buff for me, fine, guess I need to buff myself," Kazuki said, irritated. "No, wait, not yet." "Fine!"

I was formulating a plan to get over this new Persona's defense.

"Kazuki, do you think you can move fast without Shadow-mog?" "I can!" "...Then move fast enough around him to create afterimages." "I not that fast." "That's where Sukukaja comes into play." I cast a speed buff on Kazuki. "Now!" "Right!"

Kazuki was circling around Juro. "You're wasting your energy," Juro stated. "Sure I am!"

I was looking for an opportunity to strike.

"Ziodyne!" "Killer rush!" M.G. and Aigis were using attacking Juro head on. "Flour gust!" Morpheus shot out a garu spell with its wings. I see it! I dashed right over to Juro. "S-shit!" I was aiming my leg for Juro. *Thumb* Something hit my leg. "When did it?" Morpheus had its leg blocking mine. "Okay then!" I pushed with the leg that was being blocked with the Personas leg. "Haa!" I turned the Persona around, fully "Gotcha!" I was driving my fist towards its back but it dodged swiftly out of the way. "Hmm!?" It was right beside me. _"Kazuki-kun: block!"_ "Flour gust!" I blocked like Fuuka commanded. The wind attack was cutting me in several places. "Is this all you got?" The Persona slipped its leg in between my arms and broke my guard. "Tch!" He blocked the attack with his left arm.

"Giant fist!" Kazuki slammed his fist down to the floor, breaking the floor below him while creating a giant amount of dust. "Smart thinking, Kazuki," Shizuka complimented. "Fuuka, I need you to relay something." _"What is it?" "A plan."_

...

" _Everyone, Kazuki-kun has a plan he wants to share."_ "What is it, because I'm open to anything at this point," Takeba stated. _"Shizuka-chan: he needs you to tell him your skills."_ "Set up the link and I will." _"It's been established." "Kazuki, can you hear me?" "Loud and clear."_ _"What's your plan exactly?" "Well...I'm working on that."_ _"*Sigh* Why am I not surprised."_ When I think he's being impressive he somehow drops the ball on it. _"Then how about we work with mine then," I asked. "I'm all ears." "Alright then... Yamagishi: relay this to the following." "Okay!"_

This could work, but there is one lingering problem in this; Aigis.

Thanatos tower,?

"Maragi!" I had Orpheus shot out fireballs from the strings of his lyre. Some of them did damage to some of the tentacles, but some of the tentacles just waved it off.

 **"You think those petty attacks can hurt me!"** "They seem to be working so far, why stop now!" **"You little...!"**

The tentacles came speeding in my direction. (Obviously.) "Samael: Masukunda" *Crush* The lizard-like Persona lets a roar, resulting in a speed debuff to hit all the tentacles. **"What the- What did you do!?"** "Figure it out, moron!" I sidestepped the tentacles. "Ha, this is so cool." "That's so cool." I was dodging the tentacles like it was nothing. **"Why you!"** "Orpheus: Assault dive!" *Crush* Orpheus smashed its lyre on one of the tentacles. **"Shit!"** "Magic might not work but physicals do."

I started hitting the tentacles that didn't have any burn marks. *Thumb* I managed to destroy the ones weak to physical attacks.

 **"Mudoon!"** "Samael." I shifted to the other Persona. "That won't work now~" He looked pretty panicked from where I'm standing. "So, you were saying something about destroying me?" "What, I can't hear you..."

I was walking slowly towards him with the Orpheus card in hand. "Well...? I'm waiting." **"You see, the thing is..."** When I was nearing him. *Cracking* "Minako: move!" I was suddenly pushed from the position I was in. "Huh?" *Wincing* **"You see, the thing is: I WAS SO CLOSE TO RIPPING THROUGH YOUR SIDES!"** I was on the floor with Natsuki on top of me... "Ahh! This hurts like hell!" "Are you crazy! I could have taken that hit!" "And you're calling me crazy..." "What!?" "Did you forget that they went right through you; so, what were you thinking," Natsuki pointed towards me. "Well...I..." "See-stupid and crazy!" "WHAT! I AM NOT STUPID! YOU ARE!" "HUH, WHY!" "CUZ, WHAT TYPE OF IDIOT GETS INJURED LIKE THAT!" "YOU!" "NO, YOU!"

We kept yelling at each other until we got rudely interrupted. **"Will you two stop acting like fools, already!"** "Agilao!" Orpheus shot a giant fireball from his lyre. *Boom* **"AHHHH!"** "You're being rude," we both said in unison. **"Then can we get back to killing each other."** "Sure, why not..." I stood up with the Samael card in my hand. "Watch out: I'm not holding back a single bit!" **"I am a doppelganger, it is only fitting that I reciprocate action!"**

A dark, deathly aura was surrounding the room. I glanced over to Natsuki, and surprisingly enough, she wasn't scared. In fact, you could say that she was showing some more backbone.

"ORPHEUS!" **"THANATOS-LEND ME YOUR STRENGTH!"**

Hypnos tower,?

"Garula!" *Bang* Yukari summoned a Garu spell to keep the dust around Juro. _"Kazuki, are you ready?" "Yeah!"_ Shizuka-chan rushed inside the hurricane.

 _"Will this work,"_ I asked. _"Don't worry, this will work,"_ Kazuki reassured. _"Okay then, I'll stick with you guys and the plan." "Weren't you gonna do that anyway?" "Oh, um, I didn't mean that I didn't believe in you guys in the first place!" "Hehe, we know," Kazuki said._

"All, get in here Shizuka!" "Right!" Shizuka-chan jumped into the dust storm.

...

"Show yourselves." As Juro demanded, I jumped out of the dust storm. "Was this your plan, Kazuki? You do know that this isn't an idle position to be in; I have the skills to make this tight-space mine." "No, this great; dare I say it: perfect."

The dust storm started to turn into a thunderstorm due to the electricity that is running through it...

"Makouha!" I moved past the arrows of light. "He's much faster," Juro stated. "Western blow!" The area around me. But a Zio lightning attack and a Garu attack blocked the attack against me... "Well damn, I should have known that this barrier wasn't just for show. But it must take a lot of concentration to keep this up and to have it defend like that."

Juro looked back over to me... "Who's body shall I take first...?" I dashed over to him. Morpheus was keeping me away from him. "If you won't move..." I kicked for the Persona's head but it ducked under the kick. It then tried to kick me from below. *Thumb* I blocked with my left leg. "Morpheus...fight." The Persona nodded, and it and I interlocked in battle.

I was using my legs most of the time, and it was doing the same, but it had its wings to make sure it did stumble after an attack. "Nice moves, Morpheus!" _"Watch out,"_ Fuuka warned me. Its wing was looking sharper, and that did not bode well.

*Slice* The wing cut through the wind barrier. "HEY, IF HE DESTROYS THAT BARRIER I DON'T THINK I HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE ANOTHER," Yukari-chan yelled, warning me. The wings were slashing at me, but I made sure it didn't hit the wind barrier... Morpheus-now!" "Huh!?" It was flying all over the place. Its movements were graceful, but to fast for me to see.

"Morpheus-now is your time..." The Persona was starting to descend at a rapid rate. _"I can't predict the movement! I can't deploy the shield in time!"_ The Persona was already near the ground level...

*Slice* "ARGHH!" The Persona cut my shoulder... I tried to get up but something was preventing me from doing so.

"You might as well give up on getting up, I hit you with a paralyzing attack." "Is that so..." "Yes, now, I get to clam my prize for winning this fight..." Juro reached his hand out towards my face. "I'll be using my Persona to do the transfer... Hmm, now that I think of it, I shouldn't have stated that I was gonna possess one of you; because that is wrong...

Juro fixed his glasses...

"Kazuki, this is what I meant by there is more to Personas than you realize. ...Each one has different power, different strengths, different looks... However, they have the power to make you a god among men. They also have the power to dip into another realm-the collective unconsciousness. Anyway, about the transfer: I am going to have you carry out my dream as if it is your new drive in life, and after you do...well, I don't want to give you that scary thought. So, just relax; you'll think this was all just a bad dream...

Juro's hand was nearing my face.

"Juro, you should know something." "What?" "Tarukaja!" "Huh!?" Juro scanned the area... "Hmph, what a bluff." "But it wasn't, and also: an anti-shadow unit doesn't dream..." "Huh?" "As they say-you been had." "What!?"

One half of the Garu barrier behind Juro was coming towards him. "Western blow!" Morpheus' attack clashed against the Garu attack... "This isn't enough, Makouha!" Multiple arrows of light pierced the wind attack, but when it did that, the Garu spell launched something out. "It's...Kei!" Juro-san turned back to me. "Who are you really!?" "I am not Kei Kazuki, but instead the 7th generation anti-shadow suppression weapon: Aigis." "WHAT!?"

The disguise was wearing off, and I was returning to my original form. "No time to think about all this! Morpheus: finish him!" The enemy Persona was charging for Kazuki, I held my position and was waiting for the prime moment.

"Come and get some, you angelic weirdo!" The Personas wing was sharpened, and given that Kazuki is in the air, he has a high percentage of getting sliced in halves...

*Slice* Morpheus...missed. Right when the Persona was gonna cut his body, he turned his whole body left, avoiding the attack altogether. He punched the Persona where the solar plexus would be for a human being... "HAAAAAA!" "MORPHEUS!" Kazuki slammed the Persona to the ground, resulting in him breaking the floor below them...

Thanatos tower,?

"*Pant* *Pant* *Pant " **"*Pant* *Pant* *Pant*"** "Ya know, as much fun as this really is, we should really end this," I stated. **"I also agree; this has become tiring..."**

The tentacles went into the ground. I can hear them; digging towards me. I heard a tentacle coming from the left. *Crack* I dodged that attack. "Right!" One popped out from my right. I was able to anticipate the next attack due to how loud it digs.

"Bring it!" **"Watch what you say..."** Something strange happened. The tentacles stopped making noise... **"You looked worried, is it the fact that you can't hear them...?"**

I'm waiting for them to pop up anytime now. *Thud* "Huh?" The floor below me. *Slice* **"GOT YOU!"** The tentacles withdrew into the ground again.

"Minako, you okay!?" "*Breathing in* ...Yeah, I'm good," I stated, calmly picking up the bandage cloth from the floor. "*Sigh* This is why I want to get an eye-patch..." **"Are you serious!? How did they miss?"** "You're a smart demon, you figure it out." **"That debuff!"** "Aye, you got it right."

I kneeled down on the ground... "Well, time to end this." "How so? Your Maragi spell isn't enough to kill the ones weak to magic." "Oh, you are right about that, but allow me to ask you this: do you think this one hole is connected to the other ones?" **"*Gasp*"** "Oh, that's smart," Natsuki exclaims, snapping her fingers. "Orpheus: Agilao." The fire spell went through all the different tunnels in the floor. **"Q-quickly, KILL HER!"** It was useless at this point to even command that because by the time they came out of the floor they were all on fire. And one by one, they were dying off. (Finally!)

"Now, it's just you and me..." I walked up to doppel... "Shame, this is your end..." **"THUNDER KICK!"** I switched Personas immediately, after that, I blocked the attack with my arm. "You think your petty attack can hurt me? Hey, didn't you say that to me earlier," I mockingly stated. **"..."** "Oh well, it doesn't matter, time to die." "I wouldn't say me though." "Huh, you say something?" **"Hmph!"**

I heard something coming towards me... I see how that is

"Also, one more thing." "W-what." I sidestepped the incoming attack. *Stab* **"*Gasp*"** "...Cheap tricks won't work on me. Doppel tried to get the tentacle out of his body, it didn't budge... **"Do you think...you have won, that getting these shards will save Makoto Yuki?"** "Yeah, I think so." **"Do you also think you can escape from 'him'?"** "Yeah, I do!" **"Hehehe..."** "What's so funny!?" **"I had an idea for a torture method, but I have a better one now!"**

Doppel raised his hand to the air... **"Some say 'Fate is not set in stone'... True, but there is only one flaw: you have to know your fate first!"** He then drove his hand towards himself. *Stab* "*Gasp*" W-what...the," I stuttered for a moment, watching in awe as he had his own hand where the heart is. **"...I am Doppelganger: the demon who impersonates humans; I feel there hate, there regret, there sorrow, and there guilt. So, Minako Arisato, the feeling you had when I mocking your fate amused me so; so much anger, but yet, a deep sorrow, and...guilt."** "SHUT UP!" **"As my life fades, so does the knowledge of what awaits you. In do time, you will know what I take with me to the grave, but when you do, it will be too late; hopefully, it will break you into a million different tiny piece of what you once were and swallow you into despair... You...the puppet."**

After that, Doppel dispersed into the sky... I looked at his chair. There was something shining behind it. "Are those what you were looking for?" "...Yeah, they are." I picked up a piece of the shards I was looking for.

"...Let's go." "O-okay..." We quietly walked out of the domain room... _**"So much anger, but yet, a deep sorrow; and...guilt."**_

Before leaving the room, I turned around and summoned a fire spell and lit the chair on fire... "Guilt...that's a load of shit!"

Hypnos tower,?

The domain was starting to crack due to all the damage it was suffering. I had my fist on the chest of the Persona, (Morpheus) waiting for it to just spring to life.

"Nothing, guys I think we won," I said as I was climbing myself out of the crater. "Morpheus! Are you okay, Morpheus!?" "Why are you so concerned about it; isn't that your Persona," I questioned. "It doesn't really belong to me." "I do not understand? The Persona is apart of the human soul?" "...Humans have guarded this place before, and when they were guardians, they were given Personas by the towers."

This new revelation we reached was very interesting, but more importantly.

"You mentioned different locations." "That's right." "...Where?" "I think it was...Mikage-cho, St. Merlin." When he said that, I thought I was still in a sleep spell. "You aren't lying, right!?" "N-no..." I don't know how to explain this, but I felt like I need to ask something else. "Juro, how do you know all this?" "Morpheus told me a lot of things from his experience, and showed me through dreams." "I see, then did he fight someone else, besides us?" "I...think so." "Can you tell me what they looked like?" "I will, but I want to see if Morpheus is alright." "...Yeah, that's fine by-" "I am sorry, but that is not an option." "Aigis, what are you talking about," Fuuka questioned.

"Juro-san is no threat, but the Persona is. I advise eliminating it." "No, we just came here for the shards, not to kill!" "I agree, we should kill it," M.G. calmly stated. "You too!" "I think letting it be is a bad idea." Shizuka took out her sword and started walking over to it. "Stop!" "Kazuki, be quiet for a moment." "Advancing."The two were getting ready to kill the Persona. I expected Aigis to try something like this, but Shizuka...

"Fuuka: don't waste your shield skill." "But-" "Don't worry, I got this..." I walked forward towards the two...

"Shizuka, Aigis: stand down." "No!" "I will not obey." This was starting to piss me off now... I swiped my face, summoning the shadow-mog power.

"MORPHEUS!" *Thumb* I stopped Aigis' attack and Shizuka's sword by the tip of it with my fingers holding it.

"Now will you listen to me?" "Move Kazuki!" "Eliminating you both won't be so difficult." "SHUT UP," I yelled. "I had enough of your shit, Aigis! I don't care if you don't like me, but you should know that I am field leader and whatever I say goes! ...So, show me some damn respect and stand the hell down, or I crush the fuckin arm...!"

Shizuka immediately ditched the sword and got far away from me. As for Aigis, she broke away from my grip (with some trouble) and went back over to Fuuka. I saw Yukari putting down her bow; was she gonna shoot Morpheus, or Aigis/Shizuka? At any rate, I went over to everyone else, but not before deactivating the shadow-mog.

"You...protected him. Thank you," Juro bowed to me. "No, it was nothing..." "Kei-kun, that was so cool! How did you move that fast," Yukari questioned. "Well, I..." As I was thinking up an excuse, I saw Aigis looking at me... I wonder what she's thinking of right now?

"Hey, Kazuki, here you go." I looked at what Juro was giving me. "These are..." "This is what you came for, right?" "Y-yeah!" "Good, these will help you with saving Makoto Yuki." "Really!?" I put them in the bag we brought along and closed it tightly.

"Thanks!" "No problem." "Thank you, Manabu-kun," Fuuka bowed. "Um, no problem." "Aw, are you blushing," I teased. "W-what, no!" "Don't worry, man, I blush whenever I look at her, too." "BUT I'M NOT!" "Stop, Kazuki-kun!" "Hahaha! It's cool, I was just kidding." "About which part," Juro asked me, with a deadpanned face. "Maybe about her being cute." "Whoa, man, definitely not!" "Y-you were...?" "No, Fu-chan! I wasn't, I swear!"

I was trying to make Fuuka feel better about while Juro was laughing it up. I don't know why, but it was good to see him laughing...

Welp, I think we should-" "What is this?" "What is it, Fu-chan?" "There's someone else coming here." "Who is it?" "I don't know?" "Wait, this feeling! KAZUKI, WE NEED TO LEAVE NOW!" "Why?" "BECAUSE, THIS PERSON-" Before Shizuka finished her sentence, a burst of flames came, breaking through the door.

"Why, hello, kiddies!" Shizuka was facing the intruder down. "Boo!" "*Gasp*" Shizuka jumped far away from him, back to us.

"Who is he, Shizuka-cha-" "IT DOESN'T MATTER! WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!" Shizuka was breathing heavily. "...You first." "Huh?" In an instant, Shizuka disappeared. "Hey, where she-" "Yamagishi, Takeba, and Aigis-san." After Juro announced their names they all disappeared. "Don't worry, Kazuki, I teleported all of them outside of the tower." "Thanks, I guess we get to fight our little friend now." "Not 'we'." "What are you talking about? Don't tell me you're!?" "Yes, I will! I have a debt to settle with him." "A debt?" "Hehe, seems you remember me." "All too clearly!"

It took me a minute to figure out what they were talking about, then, it hit me.

"Hey, is this the guy?" "Yeah...he is." I was gearing up for an attack until. "You need to leave." "No, I'm gonna help you!" "If you stay, we both end up dead-men." "What do you mean?" "We will die, regardless of how many people are here." "No, we can beat him!" "*Sigh* I knew that you wouldn't listen."

Juro put his hand on my shoulder... "Sorry about this. Dormina!" I was hit with something. "What...are you...doing?" I was too tired to speak... "It's best to sleep for the fight ahead will be tough..." I was barely able to hear him at this point... My eyes were starting to get heavy, so I closed them tight...

?,?

"Kazuki, can you hear me?" I heard a voice ringing throughout an empty space. "Um, yes." "Good." It was Juro! "Juro, are you here!?" "No, I am not, but I have something to tell you." "Wait, where am I?" "You are in a dream right now." "But, what about you?" "I'm gonna stay and fight him." "No, that's suicide!" "It's okay, I'm already dead, I won't feel too much pain..." "This is stupid, you hear me: STUPID!" It went quiet for a moment... "...I'll buy you as much time as you need, but you'll still need to hurry and save Yuki from the mask." "*Sniffling* This is...SO STUPID! WHY DO YOU NEED TO FIGHT HIM ALONE, WHY!?" "..." I was balling my eyes out. The fact that he was fighting the monster that killed him was too unbearable for me.

"Hey, don't cry, Yamagishi will be sad to see you upset, won't she?" "*Sniffling*" "Hey, can you do me a favor?" "Name it!" "Near the tree outside the courtyard, there is a time capsule." "Yeah." "Can you give it to my sister, her name is Miki Manabu." "Okay, I'll do it," I said while wiping my eyes. "Thank you, and also, thank you again for saving Morpheus... He was the person in the tower I was able to talk to; over time, he became my best, and the only friend." "He must've been a really good friend." "Yes, he was and always will be... And can you tell Takeba thanks, thanks for telling me to stop living in a dream..." "Sure, I'll tell her." "Hmm, you are like him." "W-who?" "The St. Merlin student that spared Morpheus..."

"..." "What is the matter, Kazuki?"

I felt a certain pit in my gut, and I knew why.

"Juro: do you remember the guys face?" "Yes, why?" "...I want you to put it into my mind!" "No, this has nothing to do with you anymore!" "It does, I want to know who killed you! You think you'll die during your fight, then even if you do, your dream will still be alive!" "..."

Juro didn't say anything until... "...Fine, here." In a moments notice, I saw an image in my head. A blond male, with wraps around his right eye. I clenched my fist and my teeth. "I will find this man and I will destroy him!" I lost control over my power, resulting in me breaking the ground below me. "Please, don't die for my dream, Kazuki." "I don't know if I can promise that!"

It felt like Juro was getting farther and farther away from me...

"I guess this is it." "It for what?" "For this talk, obviously..."

I saw the stars in the sky disappearing one by one. "Kei, thank you, thank you for saving my friend and my dream; you really are a friend I wish I could've had while I was alive." "We would've been good friends." "I think so too..."

And finally, all the stars in the sky disappeared except one...

"Goodbye, Kei Kazuki." "Goodbye, Juro Manabu..."

And with that, the last star disappeared into the night... Don't worry Juro, your dream is still alive, I promise that!

* * *

 **This too long to get done, like seriously, way too long. But anyway, I don't really have much to say other than thank you for reading, please follow the story, and, or like it. Reviews help too, (A lot!) So anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed reading this new chap. Until next time; see ya...**


	36. An end to an icy morning

2-F,?

"Hey, he's starting to come around!" I heard voices, they were distorted for the most part. "Kazuki, can you hear us," Mitsuru asked. "*Yawn* Yeah, I can hear you just fine..." "Thank goodness," Fuuka said as she was helping me up from the ground... "Hey, what happened in there," Jun asked. "Huh, oh that's right!"

I went over to the door to the tower. "It's no good, the door is sealed shut," Akihiko stated. "..." "Kazuki-kun?" "*Sigh* I knew he was gonna do something like this..." "What do you mean," Yukari asked. "Nothing, but right now we need to get going on this rescue! But first..."

I made my way to the blue door. "Excuse me for a moment." I knocked on the door and soon after, a familiar scenario happened all over again when I was entering this room the first time.

Velvet room,?

"Ugh!" I rolled on the floor when I entered the blue room. "Huh, why are you rolled out on the floor like that?" "Gee, I wonder why" I retorted as I was rubbing my chin. "Well, at any rate, you completed the quest: clear the tower within an hour. So, here is your reward..." Liz threw me an important my way. "Aw yeah!" I caught the sword that was flying my way. "I noticed you didn't name it." "Oh, yeah, I didn't." "So, in light of this, I name this blade **Kuroumi**." "WOW! My own sword name!" "I know! I, too am feeling the excitement!"

I was wondering something for a while. "Um, what is that thing behind you?" "Oh my, you have seen it despite my best attempt to hide it!" "Umm... your best...?" I think she thinks too highly of herself; just a bit...

"In any case, here you are." Liz gave me the object in her hands. "...Is this a mirror frame?" "Why yes. I was told to give it to you." "By who?" "By my master." "...Me?" "No, my master." "But you call me Kazuki-sama." "Yes, but you are my second master." "Okay...who's the first?" "You shall meet him in due time." "Wow, that isn't vague or anything..."

This chatting and asking questions was me wasting time.

"Hey, why did you give me this frame for?" "Those glass shards are meant to fit into that frame." "Really?" "Why yes. And they will necessary to save Makoto-sama." "I had a feeling these were important." "However, I advise you put all the mirror shards in the frame when you try to free him, or else something unprecedented could happen; ultimately, putting the world in danger." Shit, that sounds bad! I better make sure I have all the shards...

At any rate, I should get going. Juro is sacrificing himself to buy us time to save Makoto.

"Hey, Liz, I'm gonna get going!" "You don't want the spirit of Juro Manabu to go away just yet." "No, I know that he'll die during this, but I don't want to waste the time he is giving us..." "I see..."

I opened the door to the outside. "See ya around." "We will be anticipating your next visit." "Okay..."

I walked right through the opened door and went back to the outside...

2-F,?

When I exited the Velvet room I was surrounded by everyone. "Um...hey?" "Kazuki, are you okay." "Yeah, I'm fine. Right now, we need to go to the other tower." "...You won't need to." "Hmm?" I heard a voice coming from the entrance of the class. It was Minako. "Here..." She presented a bag to us. "What is that Arisato?" "Look and see for yourself Mitsu-chan," Minako replied.

Kio went over to open the bag... "What the- When did you get this!?" Kio took out what was in the bag, and it was a mirror shard! "Arisato, where did you get that," Mitsuru demanded. "From the other tower." "By yourself!?" "Well, not exactly." We all heard another voice coming from behind Minako. "Hello." "Natsuki," Fuuka exclaimed while running over to her to hug her. "Natsuki, are you okay?" "I should be asking you that, some of you guys look hurt." "That isn't important right now."

Mitsuru went over to Minako... "Arisato, do you know the gravity of your situation?" "Yeah, but does it matter?" "Yes, it does!" Mitsuru was already getting pissed off at her. "This is not over yet. I want you to tell me why you went in there by yourself." "Hmph, she was with me in there." "Huh!?"

Minako was pointing at Natsuki. "Is this true?" "Yeah, but it was by accident!" "..." "Natsuki, you could've been killed!" "I-I know..."

While they were arguing, I started putting the pieces of the mirror in the frame. Jun began helping me. "OW, my finger!" "Yukari: can you help us?" "Sorry, but I can barely even move my hands; used to much energy." I turned to M.G. who was staring off into space... "Emmy, you okay?" "Huh, yeah... I'm fine." "...You sure; you look...pale." "J-just ignore me." "Well, can you help us?" "Um, sure..."

Shizuka was helping me and everyone else put the shard pieces in place. "There, finally," Jun yelled with sweat rolling down from his head. Why is he sweating anyway? "Give it here!" Minako picked it up. "No, time to lose; let's get going!" She opened the door out of the class. "I'm going to him now." "W-wait!" I tried to stop her from going by herself, but she didn't listen. "Grab your equipment, she's heading to the gym!"

I opened the door, with the intent of heading to the gym.

Gekkoukan high, gym,?

I arrived at the gym with my katana in hand.

"Yo, Mino!" "What!?" "Do you know what you are getting into?" "I do, Makoto is in there, and if I can get in there I can get him out!" "Do you think it'll be that easy? Cuz it won't be!" "I know, but I am powerful, so I don't have any worries!" "Yes, yes you do!" "Whatever!" "Why are you being so hotheaded?" "...Why should I tell you? What will the great Kei Kazuki be able to do?" "I-" "...Do you even know what it's like to have one person be your only link to this world; do ya!?" "YES, I DO!" "...!"

It was out there in the open now. "What do you mean?" "I know how you feel, about the whole important person thing." "How would you." "Because I only had one person that cared about me during the past fourteen years. What about you?" "..." "The point is: I just want you to know that this isn't something you have to do by yourself. You don't have to push yourself to save him. You have a team you can trust." "Trust is a two-way street; you show a form of vulnerability, but at the same time it can be a good thing. To rely on, to care for, and to know everything about them to a 't'. Overall, trust is a very dangerous thing, but what I and Makoto have." "And what is that exactly?" "A promise." "Yes, the type you know is real."

I think I get where she's coming from with this, but I don't know what to think about her, now.

"But what does that say about the others?" "They don't really matter," she said with a cold tone. "What do you mean by that?" "I mean, do we even matter? These gods are just using us to make ends meet. You, me, Makoto, we all don't matter to them. But all the same with us humans. We can do the same to each other; we can manipulate until we satisfy our needs of one another." "Minako, that's-" "...A truth I learned working with Nyar." "So, you think everyone in sees is a lie to one another?" "To each other and themselves. Hell, you would know, do you even have parents?" "Hey, that's-" "...Because last time I checked, when I asked Fuuka about your parents, she told me they were alive."

At this point, I had an irritated look on my face and the anger was building. "Does she even know about it?" "What?" "Does she even know that she's apart of this game, or did you forgot to mention it to her." "No, I didn't." "Do you not...trust her?" "No, that isn't it! I-" "You think that you're protecting her from this, tch, what a joke! No, it goes deeper than that, doesn't it."

I can't make it out, but something about Minako's eyes was scaring me right now. "W-what are you talking about?" "I know what it is, and so do you, don't you." "Shut up." "...It's the fear of..."

I grab Minako by the neck, slamming her into the wall. "Shut up!" "Oh, looks like I hit the nail on the head." "So what!?" "What do you mean "so what"? You obviously are scared if you haven't told them about the game, and your little shadow problem. Well, it looks like you're controlling it just fine from what the color of your eyes tell me." "Yeah, and you know what, you aren't gonna say anything." "...Let me top off the part where you really betray SEES: Shizuka." "...I am not betraying anyone."

I was close to hitting her until I heard the door fly open. "Kazuki: what are you doing," Mitsuru asked me as she saw my hand on Minako's neck. "Don't worry, just some horse-play, right," she was taunting me. She brought her mouth near my ear. "(Whispering) Let me go, and don't tell anyone about this talk, or else I discover the traitor on the team." "*Gasp*"

I totally forgot about that! "So: let me go!" I let her go from my grasp. "Minako, are you okay? Kei, what were you doing?" "Nothing at all," I said while pulling up my hoodie to cover my eyes. "Maybe Minako said something." "Y-yeah, that's it!" Junpei and Yukari are trying to cover for me. It did matter, for now, we need to save Makoto while we have time; while he is still alive...

After we broke through the ice with the mirror, we were inside the gym now.

"M-Makoto!" After all this time, we were finally able to see him. I saw his arms, they had slash marks on them, but they aren't recent. "What's that on his face?" It looked like a mask made of ice. Guys, point the mirror at him." "Got it, dude." Junpei and Akihiko pointed it at him. For some reason, I felt like this wasn't gonna be easy.

"Kazuki, do you feel it?" "Yeah, it's dreadful." "I feel it too." All three of us were looking at Mako with curious eyes... "What is that mask on his face?" "That mask... Why is it-" I felt the room get even colder than it was before. "Shizuka, why did it get cold all of a sudden!?" "I-I don't know?"

For a split second, I felt a pressure pushing down against us. "(Grunting) What the hell..is this!?" "I can barely even stand." "This is ridiculous!" We all had trouble standing, I didn't have time to think about why this was happening.

 **"You pitiful fools! You dare disturb my slumber!"** "Yeah, we do," Minako bit back. **"Hmm, you..."** The one possessing Makoto pointed at me. **"I feel a dark presence within you, but yet, you are human?"** "I have no idea what you mean." **"Do you not? ...Well, it matters not, I will just take your body and see what this presence is."** "Point the Mirror!"

Like before, we held up the mirror and it seems to have finally taken effect. **"Stop them from separating me from this vessel!"** The monster called for some backup in the form of icicles. "That's it? Man, this will be easy!" When Junpei was getting ready to slice it in half. "W-wait, Junpei!" I saw an arm break through the icicle as if it was nothing. "Huh!?" "Junpei, move!" Junpei moved out of the way like Akihito said, but to only to slip on the ground. "Someone: throw your Evoker to Junpei!" "Lori, catch!" Mitsuru threw her Evoker towards Junpei. "Tch, Agilao!" Junpei burned the icicle to nothingness. "Damn, that was close!" "Shizuka, let's go!" "R-right!" "Wait for me!

Shizuka, Minako and I were closing in on Makoto… "…Kazuki, to your left!" "I looked to my left, I saw a fist coming into contact with my cheek. *Bam* "AHHH!" "Kazuki, are you okay!?" "Yeah, just fine!" The other icicles were beginning to break apart. "What the hell!?" The things that came out looked like humans ice sculptures; they looked like me!

"Okay, this is just freaky." _"Everyone be careful! They look like Kazuki-kun and are just as powerful as him!"_ If they are, then... "Shizuka: go help them with my clones!" "..." "Shizuka?" "I-" She was glued to the spot she was standing in. "Shizuka, what's the matter?" "I don't know?" "You're shaking!" "N-no I'm not!" "..."

Her body language, her eyes, she was scared of something. I think it was because of me...

"Flick." *Thumb* "Aww! What in the hell!?" "You were zoning out there, so yeah." "You fool, I am not some child you flick on the head!" "Sorry, ma,am! ...But I did it because you were scared." "I'm not-" "Don't lie to me, I can see it clear as day." "..." "We really don't have time for this now, so you can tell me all about it when this is over." "*Sigh* I'll take you up on that."

I saw some of the ice clones creeping up on us. "Ziodyne!" Shizuka destroyed some of them with her Zio skill. "What are you waiting for, go get your leader back." "Got it!"

We dashed off to different sides of the gym. "You go help the others! I'll get Mako back!" "Careful, this is god we are facing, one false move and you could die!"

After hearing Shizuka's warning, I drew my sword and I began to draw some power into Kuroumi. **"Come, child, I wish to study you a bit."** "Study this!" I drew even more power out. "Ocean's stream!" I shot the almighty attack at him. **"Bufudyne!"** My attack was able to slice past the Bufu spell. For some reason, my Ocean's stream attack looked white. I guess in shadow-mog it turns white, just like his... "Makoto, can you hear me? You need to wake up, now!" "Makoto, it's me, Minako! Can you hear me; answer me, you idiot!" **"Makoto Yuki does not remain, only I -The night queen!"** "You sure are pompous like a queen!" **"You dare make a fool out of me,"** the snow queen roared. "Yeah, whatever!" I slashed at the mask. **"Absolute zero!"** A blizzard was coming my way, I launched an Ocean's stream at it. The bufu attack was blown away. **"Why you- *Gasp*"** I was already next to him before he was able to use another attack. "What's the matter, did see me coming? I thought you were a god..." **"Damn this body! I can't move!"** "Yeah, sucks for you."

I had my hand on the mask, so I tried to rip it off. "What the hell? I thought it was weakened!?" **"My connection with the boy is weakened by the mirror, but it will take more than that to take me off this boy!"** "Is that so...?" **"Yes!"** "Not even if I slice you off!" **"Hmm!"**

I was gonna slice the mask right off of Makoto's face, but I was interrupted. "Susano'o!" *Crush* I saw a blade flying towards me. I directed it away from me by hitting it with my sword. "Don't you dare!" Minako had a fire in eyes like none other. "Hang on a minute, we need to-" "Not like that!" "I think we do, because the mask won't come off so easily, so-" "No!" She summoned her Persona again and had it do Vorpal blade, but this time I was fast enough to see it. When the sword was about to hit me I grabbed it. "I'm sorry, Minako, but I need to!"

I raised my sword up and I swung it towards the mask on his face. *Slice* When I looked at the result of my attack. "D-damn! This is as painful as I remember." Minako was on the receiving end. "Arisato!" "Kei, what the hell are you doing!?" "I didn't mean to!" "Makoto... you have to wake up, now. I really, really miss you!" Minako placed her hand on the mask... "Please...for me." **"Beg all you want, woman, but you are-"**

The night queen pause during its sentence. It looked like it was struggling, judging by how it was pressing on the mask. **"GAHHH! AHHHHH!"** "MAKOTO!" He dug his fingers into the edge of the mask. **"AGGGHHH!"** He was trying to tear it off of him. I think I can help him with that! "Makoto, listen to me! I know it's hard, but you need to fight against the current; push against it and get that damn thing off you!" A current, that's what it's probably is for him inside that mask just like when the shadow would take control of me. "You hear me Makoto! You need to just rip that thing off you right now! Or I will!"

Makoto's desperate struggle to get the mask off was nearing its end. **"AGGGHHHHH!"** The mask was finally ripped from Makoto's face. It was rolling down on the floor, it was nothing but a mask now.

"Makoto!" Makoto collapsed on the floor. "Kazuki, what are you waiting for! Finish the mask off!" "Got it!"

I jumped into the air to get a good angle. "Time to finish this! **Shiro stream**!" I shot an charged almighty attack at the mask. The mask was turned into tiny pieces, then into nothingness.

 **"Good riddance!"** I deactivated Shadow-mog and let down my hood. I looked back over to Minako and Makoto. Makoto's head was on Minako's lap, still unconscious. "Makoto, are you okay? Makoto!"

I heard Mitsuru's heel click. "Takeba, Shizuka, Akihiko: heal Arisato." "What are you gonna do Mitsuru," Akihiko questioned while taking an Evoker from Junpei.

 _"I don't sense the mask anymore."_ "Are you sure?" _"Mhm."_ I let out a sigh when she said that... This was all finally coming to a close.

"Aw, did I miss the ending?" "Huh?" We all turned around to where the voice came from. There were two figures in the doorway of the gym. "My, my. Looks like it was weaker than I thought. What a waste of that much godly energy; it should have been worthy of some observation." "You're the children that escaped from me!"

I recognized both of their voices, but one of them made my blood boil and my Persona cry out with anger. Without thinking, I ran towards them, summoning Skeith. "What a fool you are, child." The lanky looking man with a long black coat stood in front of me. He took out an Evoker. "Persona!" *Bang* A purple mist came out of nowhere, it was coming towards me. "Ocean's stream!" I shot it into the mist to make it disperse, but when it did the mist wasn't gone but it just got back together. And on top of that, I noticed the Ocean's stream didn't make an impact on the enemy.

"Was that suppose to hurt or something," the blonde one mocked, laughing at what my attack did. "Orgia mode!" I heard Aigis' gears from a where I was at. She put her hand on the hood of my jacket and threw me back over to the others. "AHHHH! CATCH ME!" "Junpei, watch out!" I crashed into Junpei, full force. *Bang* "Haha, you okay, Jun?" "Hehe, no prob, Kazu..." I was seeing stars but I snapped out of it.

"Aw, that hurts." "Kazuki, are you okay?" "Yeah, I'm fine, Mitsu-chan." Can't say the same for Jun though...

"You, the blond one." "Yes..." "I'm gonna beat your ass into the afterlife!" "Oh, me? That would be insane." "Like you," the other man next to him retorted. "What makes you say that?" "Do I need to list off the insanities you unleash whenever you speak, let alone fight?" "I fight just like "him", there is no problem with that to me." "*Sigh* There is no use in using reason with you..."

I felt the floor shaking, the ice from the ceiling was falling off. "Hey, we don't have much time here anymore!" "That really is a shame, I wanted to play with the kid in the back for a bit." "You'll get another chance, later." "Oh, fine, I'll wait for another time."

A fire covered the two to the point where we couldn't see them, and when it disappeared they were gone as well. "Where did they go," Yukari asked out loud. "I don't know, but we need to get out of here!" The ice was starting to melt from walls and floor, and icicles were falling from the roof. We were all ran out of the gym before the number of icicles fell to the ground... I saw Minako moving slower than anyone else here because she needed to carry Makoto, so I went over to them. "Let me help you with that." I slide his right arm around my neck. "Let me help you with that." "..." "Come on, let's go!" "...Right." We both made a break for it out of the gym...

Outside of Gekkoukan high,?

We the second years went to the second floor to check up on everyone while Kio and Mitus-chan went to the third floor... originally, I went back to the courtyard to find that time capsule. I eventually found it... I opened it to find jewelry; it looks rather expensive... I also found a note in there too... But before I left the area, I heard something. _"Thank you"_. At first, I thought it was the wind, but another thought came into my head... I then said, "Your welcome When I went back to class 2-F, most of the students were badly beaten and poisoned; Fuuka and Shizuka were the ones left in charge of treating them since they have some medical knowledge. I was heading outside to get some help, and due to most of the ice being melted I was able to get out.

"Alright, what time is it now?" I opened my phone... "Huh, this isn't right?" It was 8:04 A.M. We were in the school for more than a half-an-hour, right? So why is it still this early in the morning?

Oh right, the ambulance! I dialed them up, and it seemed like they were coming... "Huh?" I saw a figure at the gateway of the school, he/she moved away the moment I spotted them. "Hey, wait!" I ran towards the gate, and when I did I felt something hit my neck. *Thumb* "ACKK!" I was slammed to the ground; hard...

"Hmph, that was too easy." This voice... It belonged to only one person I know. "Katsu!" "Sup." I got up from the floor while Katsu was grinning at me. "So, why are you here?" "Oh you know, doing work some work for the boss man." "Some work you're doing, he might even give you a treat!" "...Kicking your ass will be a treat!"

I was starting to feel some adrenalin... Out of nowhere, I heard sirens down the road/ "Tch, you got lucky today. Next time we'll really settle this another time!" "Can't wait!" Katsu ran off into the city...

I saw the ambulance and the police pull up in front of the school... After a few minutes of me answering questions for the police, I went back to the school to make sure that the school really was clear of any threats...

...

I was far away from the school, hiding in an alleyway. "Masaru, why did you break-off from us?" "Cuz I can!" "...You went to fight the Kazuki kid, didn't you?" "Of course I did!" When I said that, the blonde bastard started laughing. "Why is that so funny," I angrily asked. "Because he would sweep the floor with you." "What do you mean, you lunatic!?" "He has shadow transmogrification." "Is that suppose to mean something to me?" One of these bastards sighed when I said that. "To save us some time, do you remember your last mission?" "Yeah, of course, I do! The idiot beat my ass senseless!" "Well, shadow transmogrification is the reason why he was able to beat you."

When Tsuneo said that, I grabbed him by the collar of his coat. "How did he gain that power?" "Usually it should be impossible to even be able to obtain something like that due to how normal shadows act, but, the boss might be able to help you with that." "Why would a chicken-shit who doesn't show himself be able to help me?" "Because he's a god himself!" "...Oh, and how would you know this," I questioned with one of my fist aimed at his head. "Because he came to directly when he was forming the organization."

This info wasn't really necessary but it wouldn't hurt to ask. I threw him to the ground...

"I want to meet the boss." "Ha, good luck with that. He only shows his face to are Yatagarasus," the blondie laughed while mocking me. "Don't worry about that, I'll see him one way or the other, and I will gain that power...!

* * *

 **I guess you can say "Another one bites the dusto"! Okay, that was a terrible joke. Hello, everyone, Proxy's saga here, and wow, this still took to long to make. (But not by an entire mouth at least, right?) So anyway, I originally wanted to have the team fight against the night queen when it turns into queen Asura, but I thought this arc was going on long enough... And besides, there is gonna be more awesome stuff to come. And also, Makoto is back, and he has a bunch of wounds on his arm? I wonder why...? (I do.) Another thing, I fixed and updated the previous chapter's dialogue, so, yeah. Welp, I hope you guys enjoy this chap, (maybe this arc) because now we can get on with the story. As I almost always say, until the chapter; see ya...**


	37. A secret best kept

**Note: I want to say that I have cut some corners during this chapter, but I did it in places where it would be okay. Are we good now? (Who am I asking that?) Enjoy the chapter.**

9/2 wed, Iwatodai dormitory, lounge, Morning

"Man. I'm bored," I yelled out loud after a yawn. "Shush!" "Sorry!" I was sitting on the couch with Yukari and Shizuka on our day off and with nothing to do... The school was closed for today due to what happened yesterday, and also for the number of students that were injured. Minako went to the hospital to visit Makoto; that guy had a lot more injuries than what we were able to see. It made me think, "What happened to him"? So overall, things went bad...

"*Sigh* What should I do?" "How about you go somewhere with your girlfriend," Shizuka suggested. "Great idea, but the stick on that road is Fuuka went to Natsuki's, so that's an out...?" My mind was trying to find out what the hell to do...

Pip-pip* *Pip-pip* I suddenly heard my phone going off. I flip it open. "Hello?" "This is Akihiko." "Hey, what can I do for you today?" "I need you to meet me at the Iwatodai strip mall." "Why for?" "...Were gonna be getting an old member back." "Really? I'll be down there in a moments notice!"

I hung up on the call and I jumped off the couch... "Welp, looks like I have something to do for today." "Where are you going," Yuka-chan asked while painting her nails. "To the strip mall. You want anything?" "No, I'm good."

I left the dorm without any delay to meet up with Kio...

Iwatodai strip mall, Morning

Kio and I were waiting for the old member -Shinjiro Aragaki- to come out of the beef bowl place...

"Huh, this shit again...? You're getting on my nerves!" The person that came out of the restaurant had this tough look to him; an aloof look to him as well. "The situation has changed. Sorry, but this time I'm not asking." "What?" Kio shows him the briefcase in his hand. "This belongs to you. We have a new enemy. They are Persona-users like us." "Yeah, so what?" "What do you mean so what," I stated after thinking that it would be best. "Aki, who is this?" "He's Kei Kazuki. He's the Persona-user I told you about." "Oh, the one that can summon without an Evoker." "I am, and these enemy Persona-users are a big problem!" "Like I said: so what?" "People could get hurt because of these guys. Can you really turn a blind eye to that?" "Why shouldn't I?" This guy... "Tch, sounds like a chicken to me, Kio. Even a KID decided to fight with us."

Out of nowhere, Shinjiro grabbed me. "Hey, Shinji, calm down!" "Let me get something straight: I ain't no coward! And also, what kid?" "I won't tell." His grip got tighter. "...Not until you join!" When I thought he was gonna punch me, he instead lets me go. "What a pain in the ass! Fine, I'll join." "Yes!" I pumped my fist into the air.

"*Sigh* Is my room vacant?" "Yeah." "Good..." Shinji looked at me again. "Let me ask you something." "What?" "Why are you fighting for?" Obviously for Fuuka and everyone else, but the real reason is that I have no choice. "For someone I love." "Hmm. That's a sappy reason." "Hey, I'll have you know I am also doing this because of how badass I am!" "Huh... Well, you do your thing and I'll do mine..."

He began to walk away from us...

"Man, you could have gotten hurt if you had pushed him any further." "Sorry, but he kind of pissed me off," I said nonchalantly "Heh, I didn't know you can get angry." "Of course I can."

I smelled something good coming from the wild duck. "Hey, you wanna get something to eat?" "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to get something to eat." "...To wild duck!"

Iwatodai strip mall, Wild duck, morning

I was chowing down on some of the wild duck burgers. "Meh, his uood!" "Um, can you swole first?" "Sorry!" I swallowed all the food in my mouth...

"Ah, that was good!" "Hey, about what happened earlier." "You mean with Shinji?" "Yeah. He's not a bad guy, it's just... He holding down his own potential." "No kidding... By the way, why did he quit?" "..." He didn't say anything when I asked... "I see, sorry for asking." "No, it's okay..." Shinjiro Aragaki... That guy seems like he seen some stuff, but I guess I shouldn't ask though...

"Kei, I have a question to ask you." "Shoot." "Why did you go berserk during the fifth full-moon?" "I don't know what your-" "...Don't play dumb! You lost control of yourself and nearly killed Minako and Aigis." Shit, I don't have an excuse for this. I could tell the truth. "Well, I don't know how it happened, but I felt a violent urge pave over my brain. The next thing I know, I was in bed with a big headache." "Hmm..." Did he buy it...? "Huh, I guess that checks out." Whew, that was close. "Well now, Kio, let me ask you a question: why did you get into boxing?" "The answer to that question is not for the sport, but so I can learn how to fight." "Why?" "...I just didn't want to feel powerless ever again."

Akihiko had a pained look on his face. In a way, I feel what he means. "..." "Hey, I have another question." "What is," I asked with an eyebrow raised. "Um, how do you talk to a girl normally?" "Whoa, the boxing champion wants to make some moves." "No, i-it's not like that!" "Then why do you want to know how?" "Well..."

 _A minute later..._

"AHAHAHAH! NO FRICKIN WAY!" "This is humiliating!" "Don't worry, it's not that bad! *Snicker*"

Kio kept trying to tell me to brush it off but it was just too funny to ignore...

Pip-pip* *Pip-pip* "Huh... It's Mitsuru, she needs us to get back to the dorm." "Why for." "Urgent meeting." "Alright, just let me finish this and..." "No time, come on." Kio grabbed me by the hoodie and started dragging me. "No, wait, the food!" "You're good!" "No, I'm not!" I felt tears rolling down my cheeks at that moment.

Iwatodai dormitory, command room, evening

We were sitting, waiting for Ikutsuki to come in now.

Door opening* "Sorry for the wait, I was getting something straightened." "What is this meeting for," Shizuka asked with a hint of annoyance. "Well, as some of you know, the traitor in the Kirijo group has been running free for quite a while now." "A traitor," Ken asked. "Yes Amada, there was a traitor." "Was? Did you catch him," Ken pointed out. "Why yes, we did..." Really! That makes me worried about Shizuka... "But, unfortunately, when we found him, he was dead." This came as a shock to the rest of us except Shizuka. "How did he die," I questioned. "He was shot in the heart." "This, however, was a shame. I needed him to tell us about the other Persona-users." "Freat not Mitsuru. I like to add something else to the this." "What is it Mr. Chairman?" "Well...this concerns Kazuki." "What about me?" "When you were trapped in Tartarus with Yamagishi, you said you were attacked by a Persona-user, yes?" "Yeah, why?" "Did you ever question how they knew you were in there?" "...I have." "And I was told by Mitsuru that you were displaying a strange energy." Shit, I forgot she can sense energy levels too! "Oh, I guess it was due to adrenalin, huh?" "But that doesn't make sense," Mitsuru included herself in this. "I can't explain it either, but when whenever I fight, I just feel more powerful than usual." Mitsuru didn't ask anything else about my "sudden power boost". I really wasn't lying, but at the same time, I was...

"Then let me ask this: why do they attack you the most," Ikusuki asked a question I had no answer to. "I don't know?" "Surely there must be a reason why." "Well, I don't know, all right!" "I see. Also, Shizuka, may I ask you something?" "And that is...?" "Where did you come from Shizuka? Why are you here?"

This is bad. Shizuka was put on the spot by Ikutsuki...!

"I'm here because was invited. I am fighting for my own reasons. Does that satisfy you?" "Yes...for now."

Ikutsuki clapped his hands together. "Meeting adjourned, people. However, Aigis, I need to stay for a moment." "Understood."

We all left Aigis and Ikutuski in the command room by themselves... If I didn't know any better, I'd say that he was suspicious of Shizuka... And if so, she needs to be careful.

"Kei, right?" I heard Shinjiro talking to me. "Yeah." "You looked very suspicious during the meeting." "Oh, I did?" "Yeah, and that Shizuka girl looked rather calm for what was being said in there." "Well, I've always been that calm." "Really... Whatever, it's none of my business. But if you two are playing with a fire you can't control, then you should stop."

And with that, Shinjiro left. Did he see right through us!? "Kazuki, we need to be careful for now on. You need to keep your shadow-mog a secret." "What about you?" "You don't need to worry about that, just worry about yourself." "That's kind of hard to do." "*Sigh* Just don't let anything slip, okay?" "Gotcha!" I gave her a thumbs up. She put her hand to her face and sighed.

9/5 Sat, Paulownia mall, Dark Hour

All of SEES was in the mall, looking for the next shadow; well almost all of us, Jun wasn't here. I know he wouldn't miss this for the world... Finding this shadow was giving me a headache trying to figure out where this shadow was. Even Fuuka was having a hard time finding it. After a couple of minutes of searching, we found it. "Finally, let's go!" "Kazuki, the team?" "Ken, Akihiko, and Shinjiro." "I really get to fight," Ken asked with some excitement. "Of course, since we're going to be fighting something that can manipulate the electricity, it would only make sense if I bring people who aren't affected by it much." "Why not take Shizuka then," Mitsuru pointed out. "Because, I want Shinji to stretch his legs, and I want to see if Ken can handle himself." That sounded like something Shizuka would say. (Am I becoming more like her?) "Hey, what if the kid gets hurt," Shinjiro asked with a more concerned voice than he usually has...

"No, it's okay senpai, I want to help." "You sure?" "Absolutely." Shinjiro didn't say anything else and just moved to the door. "What you waiting for, let's do this!" We all followed along behind Shinji. "Um, Kazuki-senpai." "Yeah, Ken?" "Thank you for choosing me for this fight," He announced his gratitude as he bowed. "Aw, geez, kid; you're making me blush... But, you're welcome." "I won't let you down!" "You can do that by not dying." "...Of course, I won't die... Not until I-" "Come on, Ken." "Huh, of sorry, senpai! Let's go!

...

We went inside of the nightclub and found the shadow. It had taken the form of a bunch of wires and cables jumbled up together. "So, this is it, huh?" Ken lapped his spear on top of his shoulder. "Yeah, this what they typically look like." "Well, this should be fun!" Shinjiro put his ax to his shoulder. "Oh, it will be," Kio said, excitedly putting on his gloves. "Ken: healing! Shinjiro: go all-out! Akihiko: Debuff its defense and speed, and heal if needed!" "What about you," Shinjiro asked with curiosity. "What do you think? Kick its ass!" "Heh, fine by me, just don't get us killed!"

Akihiko and Shinjiro put their Evokers. "Skeith!" "Castor!" *Bang* "Polydeuces!" *Bang* Castor looked like Polydeuces except it has a horse...

"Fatal end!" The hooves of Castor's horse slammed down on the shadow. The shadow gave out a screech and hit Castor with a piercing attack, destroying the Persona. "Tough son of a bitch!" Skeith was gonna use Gigantic fist against it, but not before Akihiko used a debuff on it. "Rakunda!" The shadow had a lower defense now. Skeith now had hit the shadow in the head and I can tell that it did massive damage. _"Kazuki-kun, that was amazing!"_ "I know!" The shadow shot a lightning bolt at me. I used Kuroumi to deflect the attack. "We're gonna have to pull out all the stops to kill this thing," Shinjiro said while summoning his Persona. "I know and we will!"

For what seemed like more than minutes, we punched, slashed, and destroyed wires. But the shadow seemed like it was getting started. It let out another horrific screech and shot cables at us. "DODGE!" Everyone seemed to have dodged, but Ken, on the other hand, didn't have enough time to do so... "AHH!" "KEN!" It wrapped him with wires, and now, it was doing something else. The light bulbs on its back were lighting up. _"Kazuki-kun, I have a bad feeling about those light bulbs! Save Ken-kun before they all light up!"_ "On it!"

We all tried to make the thing let him go, but when we tried to go near it, the wires would push us back. And this was bad, the bulbs were almost full. I don't know what will happen, but I can't let it happen!

 **"Then use me."** "Huh?" Everything went still for a moment. **"Use my power, it's your only hope."** "What are you, who are you?" **"Does it matter? All that matters is that you use my power to destroy this thing in front of you!"** This voice was getting louder and louder. **"Or maybe...you're still rejecting this power still?"** "What are you talking about!?" **"...Why do you need an answer? Just do as I ask! Use this power to the fullest; enjoy it!"** "I don't need to, I can just-" **"Just what? ...You don't use me, that kid will die, and you aren't strong enough to beat it on your own. Hehehe, so just use me already!"** The voice in my head got louder and louder, and I couldn't take it anymore. I used Shadow-mog. The wires tried to stop me but I was too fast for them to hit. "HA!" I cut the wires that had Ken and he dropped to the floor. "You're next," I said menacingly. **"ARGGHHH!"** It shot out a giant lightning bolt at me. *Bam* _"Kazuki-kun!"_ The dust cleared and I was left unscratched. "How did hell did he survive that!?" "I don't know?" I looked at my sword. It had a white almighty energy. "Shiro stream." I slashed horizontally. The shadow lets out a sharp cry as its head was coming off...

"Damn, what was that move?" "It was called Ocean's stream, but it was never white..."

I walked over to the guys but not before deactivating Shadow-mog. "Is Ken alright?" "Yeah, he's just fine." "Good." I hoisted him up to my back. _"I don't sense the enemy anymore. Well done everyone..."_ "All of us...?" "Is there a problem," I asked Shinjiro. "N-no, nothing..." _"Oh, everyone, I sense Junpei-kun back at the dorm."_ We all nodded to each other and walked out of the nightclub...

Later that night, we found that Junpei was taken captive by an unknown Persona-user -Chidori. She was apprehended in the end and was later taken to the hospital to be treated there and to be interrogated. However... Later that night, however, when I thought I can finally get some shut eye for the night, Fuuka came up to me looking very timid for some reason.

"Kazuki-kun" "What's up?" "Well, um... There was something weird about tonight." "What do you mean?" "...What I mean is that there was a weird presence coming from the nightclub; it felt...evil." Evil!? I-is it really? I mean, I guess it would be... "And the point I'm getting to is that it was coming from you. Kazuki-kun, is there something you're not telling me?" "Of course not." "Are you sure? Because your mental state skyrocketed." "Huh, I guess I was just concerned for Ken." "I guess, but when we were walking back to the dorm, you had a look in your eye; it was fear." "I don't know what you are talking about" I was lying outright to her, and to be honest, I don't expect to get away with it... "It wasn't only once but many times before." "Oh...really." "Yes. There's something you're not telling me; what is...?"

I might as well tell her the truth. It was inevitable... "The thing is-" **"Why tell her the truth? Would she really understand?"** This thing in my head came back again and everything froze. **"What good would that do~"** "No, she deserves to know!" **"Great idea, but let me tell you this: will she look at you the same? Are you confident in that? Because I bet she'll look at you like you are some sort of freak. Can you stomach the thought? Because anyone can lie; you've been doing it ever since you arrived here."** "I didn't want to admit, but, this thing had a point. What if I do tell her, what will she think... I-I just can't take that chance. **"So, just keep lying, and lying, and lying..."**

"Kazuki-kun?" I snapped out of my trance and faced Fuuka. I took her hand... "I swear to you that nothing is wrong." "Are you sure?" "Yep," I said with a positive voice, but it's not real... "You must be tired, Fuuka. You should get some rest..." "What about you?" "I'm tired as hell!"

I laid myself on myself on one side of the bed. That night I couldn't sleep, this new thing that was speaking in my head was something new... It didn't feel as violent as the shadow, but it felt more malicious than anything. ...It honestly made me scared than anything else, and I think that thing has something to do with my Shadow-mog... This stuff was starting to get more complicated...

9/6 Sun, Iwatodai Dormitory, Kazuki/Fuuka's room, Evening

It was a Sunday morning and Fuuka and I were doing jack-all but watching TV and reading manga... Well, she was just studying. "Kazuki-kun, do you want to go somewhere?" "I do, but I don't know where we should go." "But it would be better than sitting around here all day, right?" "Yeah, I guess you're right..."

I heard the door opening while I was flipping channels. "Kei." "Sup, M.G." "You need to come downstairs." "Why for," I asked while I was putting on my sneakers. "You'll see..." M.G. left after saying that. "Well, looks like we have something to do." Fuuka put on a pair of shoes and we made our way to the lounge.

Iwatodai Dormitory, lounge

When we reached the lounge, I thought my jaw hit the floor, because I saw a very familiar blue haired guy standing inside of the dorm for the first time in a long time. "Well, look who returned to use in one piece." "Kei, Fuuka, how are you two doing?" "Heh, I should be asking you that. How are you, man?" I went up to him to give to pat him on the shoulder. "I think I'm fine for the most part, but that doesn't matter right now. I want to know what happened while I was away." "Well, we wanted to ask you some questions too." "I see, well, I'll tell you as much as I know..."

...

"So, this is all I know. I was inside of a tower apparently, and in that tower, I was fighting so many horrors; demons seem to be the best way to put it. They were strong and well coordinated. So, as you can imagine I made a few too many mistakes, and in the end, I got hurt for it." "That sounds horrible," Mitsuru stated with her hand over her mouth. "Wait, was this during the Dark Hour," Fuuka asked. "I don't know. There was no way for me to tell..." "Hmm, another tower... Was it like Tartarus?" "No. From what I saw, it was floor-based like Tartarus and it would change aesthetically like it, but the big difference was they weren't just corridors." "Huh?" "The first one was like an old ruin, then the second part of the tower was a desert... I was able to make it through the first one I mentioned, but the desert area is where I finally fell. After that, I was in a prison. They fed me, and for some reason, I felt a strange presence roaming around the, but it didn't disturb me too much." "This is surreal," I said while I was stretching my legs... This energy he was talking about, it must've been Nyarlathotep, no doubt...

*Knock* *Knock* "What the?" "Is there someone coming over," Makoto questioned. "No, there isn't," Mitsuru told Makoto as if she was confused herself. (She also said that with a hint of caution.) "I'll answer it." I got up from the couch and made my way over to the door. I opened the door with a cautious demeanor. *Door creaks open* "Hello, I-" "Huh!?" The person standing in front of me...! "Oh, Kei, long time no see." "Naoya!" "Sup."

I felt a jolt running through my legs. Then all together, I leaped at Naoya. "Whoa, Kei!" *Crash* "Kazuki-kun!" I was on the floor with one leg hanging on the railing separating the street and the sidewalk. "Ah, that hurts Kei!" "Hehe, sorry about that..."

Iwatodai Dormitory, Minako's room 

"..." "So, is this understood? There is no other choice for you and you know that now." "..." **"Hmph, without the bite in your voice you're kind of boring..."**

The dark god left my room, leaving me all alone... "There is no escape from this... There is no hope..."

* * *

 **I'm really don't have much to say. Please follow the story or leave a review cuz that helps a lot; like how Snapple helps me to sustain my addiction for it. (That actually doesn't sound good...) Other than that, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and until the next chapter; see ya...**


	38. An organized plan

9/6 Sun, strip mall, Hakekure, Morning

I was drinking from a cup full of tea. I was sitting inside of Hakekure with Fuuka, M.G., and Naoya...

"Ah, that was good!" "Hmm, Kei is there a secret menu," Naoya quietly asked. "Why yes, there is," I ordered two bowls of the secret menu item: The Hakekure bowl. "Time to-" "...Dig in!" The both of us went into the bowls of noodles and soup from the bowl until they were gone.

"Ahh, that was good..." "I know, right." "You two ate all that," M.G. cringed. "Yep!" "You could get a stomach ache." "She does have a point Kei. Oh, I didn't get your name by the way." "It took you this long to ask for it?" "Sorry." "No, it's alright. I'm Rin Shizuka." "Naoya Toudou."

The four of us were just watching the TV in the place...

"So, Naoya, what are you doing here, anyway," I asked while ordering another bowl. "Well, I was off for this week, so I thought I come and see how you doing." "That's expected from Naoya: the big bro." "Big bro..." For some reason, there was an awkward silence...

"Naoya-san, what do you do?" "Oh, I work with an old friend of mine down at a psychiatric." "Really?" "Yeah, it's down in Sumura." "Isn't that far from Mikage-cho," Fuuka questioned. "Not if you get up early and take a train." "Oh." "Wanna see the place, I took some pictures my first time there." "Sure."

While Naoya was showing Fuuka some pictures of his workplace, Shizuka switched her seat and sat next to me. She was writing something on a piece of paper. _"We are being watched, but don't turn your head."_ "We're being watched!? _"The woman who is sitting right behind us. She was writing something on a notepad while she was watching us."_ I took her pencil and I wrote what I had to say. _"Are you serious!? Is it someone from your organization?" "Old!" "Mep!" "Anyway, I don't know, I'll just have to figure it out." "How?" "Guess."_

Shizuka had this bothered look on her face... "Kei, Rin, what are you two writing," Naoya came over to us. "Nothing." Shizuka stuffed the paper into her pocket. "Well, I'm gonna go to the library, Shizuka-chan, can you come with me?" "Why?" "Umm." "Oh, right, hight." Shizuka and Fuuka went left the shop. "Naoya." "Yeah." "I'm sorry if Shizuka can off as a bit rude." "Nah, it's okay. She actually reminds of an old friend from high school." "Who?" "He was a bit of a punk..." "Like the Reiji guy you told me about." "Yeah, him..."

I slurped some of the noodles in my mouth. "But, that Rin girl seems like a good friend." "She's very helpful too." "I can see, she really does seem like the helpful type, but..." "But what?" "...Nothing. However, how do you feel, living here and all?" "I'm gonna be honest..." I drank the water that I ordered. "Ahh. I love it here... The people I met here so far are awesome people. And so far, living in the dorm is great, and the people living there are great..." "That's great. You deserve this..." "I think so too." Naoya pats me on the head.

"By the way." "Yep." "How did you meet Yamagishi?" "In school." "But how." "Oh, well..."

 _A few seconds later..._

"You idiot!" "I'm sorry but I was lost and I didn't know where to go!" "Why didn't you watch where you were going!" "Sorry!" Naoya was pulling on my cheeks. "My cheeks!"

Port island station, evening

After we left the strip mall, we went to the station. Fu-chan and M.G. went to the flower shop for a moment. "Man, this city sure is different from Mikage-cho," Naoya stated. "I know, right..." The city was as lively as ever and Naoya seemed to be enjoying it.

"Kei, do you remember when I first met you?" "Of course I do. Though, I was a bit cold to you at first. I never did apologize to you for that." "No, it's alright, I understand why you were like that; it was to protect yourself." To protect myself... "But, you never deserved to be treated the way you were by others. Your mom would obviously agree." "Mom?" "I told you didn't I, she would kick their asses like it was nothing." "Are you sure?" "Yep, I heard from my mom she used to kick ass in high school." "Wow, she was so cool!" "Yeah, she was..."

Trains were passing by, people were on with there busy lives, and the sun was starting to set.

"Naoya...what if I tell you that I had secret that I was keeping from you" "Well, tell me then," Naoya openly asked. "Um, well..." I wanted to tell Naoya about the shadows, about Personas, and about what is inside of me...

"Well, what is it?" "It's...umm... I was thinking about marrying Fuuka!" "Oh, is that it?" "Yeah...it is." ...Damn it! I couldn't do it, I couldn't even tell him.

"Well, it's getting late, I should get back to my hotel." "Really?" "Yeah, plus, I'm getting kind of tired." "Oh." I frowned when I realized that it was late. "Hey, we could always hang tomorrow," Naoya cheeringly said while he put a hand on my shoulder. "Okay!" I smiled...

Port island station, evening

When the person following us entered the woman's restroom, I immediately grabbed their arm and I kicked the back of her leg, then, I pulled on it while I had my shoe. "Who are you, and don't you dare feed me lies; I'll snap the arm!" "..." "Won't answer, huh. Well then, I better make an example." I snapped her arm... "ARRGGGHH!" "Told you to answer me. Now, get talking!"

I gave her a cold stare. "Okay, I'll talk!" "Good, now tell me what the organization is planning." "How did you!?" "I had a feeling... Now, will you talk, or will the other arm go?"

After a moment of silence, she spoke up. "I was tasked to watch you and that is it." "Hm." "Kill me, go ahead, I do not fear death!" "I know you don't; I was apart of it, remember."

She tried to take something out of her pocket. A death pill. I kicked it out of her hand before she could put itp into her mouth. "You won't die until I am finished with you. And it just so happens that I have something for you to do." "W-what...?" "You're gonna play spy for me now..."

10/3 Sat, Tartarus, lobby, Dark Hour

I was breathing heavily, trying to catch my breath. "Can you go again Yamagishi?" "I-I don't think so. Can we take a break?" "Sure..." We sat down on the staircase to the entrance of the labyrinth.

"So, how do you feel now," Shizuka-san asked while taking a sip of water. "Well, I think I made some progress. ...But, I still feel like this isn't enough to really make a giant difference." "Hm, maybe you're right." "Oh..." "...Or maybe you're wrong. You won't know until you try to hone your abilities and put them to the test." Shizuka-san's words struck me. It made me think a bit more positively about my self.

"Hey, Shizuka-san, can I ask you something?" "Sure." "Why are you helping us? I mean...why are you?" Shizuka-san didn't say anything towards my question. Instead, taking a large gulp of her drink. "I fight because... Hm? Guess I don't know." "...But, I thought you wanted to end the Dark Hour?" "To be honest, I don't care if the Dark Hour continues to exist; it never came to me as a thought before; guess I'm just as irresponsible as Kazuki."

Shizuka-san looked up at the door to Tartarus... "Um, speaking of Kazuki-kun, do you think he has been acting strange lately?" "No, I haven't." "I see... Well, I guess you can't know every little detail," I apologetically said to her. "Yeah, that is asking a little too much from me..." "Yes."

I got up from the staircase and made my way to the exit. "I'll be going now." "I'll catch up later." "Okay..."

I walked out of Tartarus with a little bit more progress towards my abilities. But, I still have no idea what is up with Kazuki-kun. Maybe it's just my imagination.

"Hm? What the?" I felt a presence. It was faint but I felt something. What was it though...? But I can say one thing; I felt like I was being watched by someone...

10/4 sun, Iwatodai dormitory, Command room, Dark Hour

After we found the shadows for the night, that's right, two... For some reason, Shinjiro and Ken weren't here... And Minako said she wasn't feeling well.

"..." "Shizuka, are you okay?" "Yes, I'm fine." She puts a piece of paper in her pocket. "Hey, I'm not gonna be able to help you during the op." "Why not," I asked. "I have to check on something... It could take me a while, so I won't be there." "I see, okay. Just be careful." "Of course..."

When we both left the dorm we went different ways, to different destinations...

...

I busted right through the door that was leading to this supposed throne room. "HEY, BOSS, MASARU IS HERE! I WANT TO TALK TO YOU!" Nobody answered when I called out. "Masaru, you in a place that is not your domain! I suggest you turn back, now!" It was one of the Yatagarasus. "Well, I was just looking for our fearless leader, you see. And by the looks of it, he isn't here... Ain't that strange?" "Do not insult our leader!" "Bite me!" "I will do more than biting!" He summoned up a red mist to his side. "Fine then bring it!" He fired off some curse spells. I drew my Evoker and summoned Prometheus. My fire and his curse attack collided, ultimately, the two attacks canceled each other out. "Heup!" With a swift kick, I was able to kick his neck, sending him flying to the left part of this room.

Thud* "Hmph, I thought you guys were skilled when it came to fighting." "You want to see skill, fine!" He traveled towards me like a bullet. He thrust his hand towards me. *Stab* "Damn, I wasn't able to go deep enough." I had my foot on his chest, pushing him away from me and making sure the damage was minimal. "Do you believe that you deserve a gift such as Shadowmogrification?" "Sure do, and I'll prove it!" "Then prove it!"

We charged at each other, clashing fire and curse skills at each other...

I was watching this fight play itself out "This should be a good warm-up for Masaru before their grand fight..." I was laughing with amusement. "This whole thing will be fun! I better go and get Minako for this operation..."

I walked away from this fight to put the finishing touches on the most important matter at hand...

Port island station, Dark Hour

*Clang* "*Grunting*" I was struck by a fence from the enemy . Tonight was the full moon shadow and this time there were two of them. One was using physical attacks and that alone was trouble. The other one, however, was invisible, so we can't hit it. "Kazuki, watch out for that fence!" As Fuuka warned me, I summoned Skeith to kick the fence in from the side, and in doing that, the fence traveled around me. "This son of a bitch is tough," I said. The strength shadow waved its rose, creating a heat wave attack. "Mabufula!" A giant ice barrier formed in front of us when Mitsuru summoned. "Kazuki, what are your orders!?" "...Aigis: buffing, Akihiko: debuff them all the way to hell!" "Got it!" "Understood!"

By the time the shadow broke through the ice, I was already charging for the shadow. It used a slash attack to stop me, but I was able to see the pattern with the help of Shadow-mog my reaction time and my perception was faster than the norm. I dodged it flawlessly and I drew my sword on the shadow. I attacked the shadow, but it had the fence around it protect itself. *Clang* I had started slashing against the fence and the fence was attacked me in exchange. I was doing some of the moves Shizuka taught me, this thing wasn't even touching me. It was trying to do another physical on me, so I had Skeith destroy the shadows arm to disrupt it. The fence's spikes extended, aiming for my head. I summoned Skeith to block the attack by taking the hit. "ARGGHH!" It still hurt me but it was better than me actually getting hit by the thing. The fence tried to retract but I stabbed my sword into the ground, in between one of the many gaps the fence has. "Mitsuru, Makoto! Have at em!" I crouched down as Mitsuru was running over here. "Makoto: smash it!" "Orpheus!" Summoning his Persona, it smashed its lyre into the shadows face. After that, Mitsuru leap off from my back, making her go airborne. "HAA!" She stabbed the shadow in the head. "You ain't done, are you Mitsu-chan," I ask walking behind the shadow. "Not quite." She pointed her head. "I bid you adieu." *Bang* Mitsuru pulled out her sword, at the same time, her persona tapped the inside of the shadow, and then a giant ice block, resulting in the attack destroying the head altogether. She then jumped off from the shadow.

"That was brutal, senpai," I stated bluntly. "You're not too bad yourself." "Why thank you."

After killing the strength shadow, the other one became visible again. "Alright, time to this!" I summoned Skeith to finish off this weakly-looking shadow. But the shadow summoned something from the sky, and it was right above me. "Io!" I was hit by a gust of wind. "Ahhh!" I was blown away by the object that landed right where I was at. "That was close! Thanks, Yuka-chan!" "No problem."

I got up from the floor and looked at what the shadow summoned. "This a roulette board," Makoto pointed out. "Seems like it." The shadow jumped on the ornament in the middle of the thing, then the wheel started spinning. "What is going on," Mitsuru demanded an answer. **"Do any of you consider yourselves a gambler?"** It has been a while since I heard one of these things talk.

"Not really, but what can it hurt?" **"Everything."** "Kazuki, let me try, I have some Personas with high luck." "Thanks, but I got this." "I hope you know what you are doing..." Makoto stood back and I found myself standing in front of the roulette wheel by myself.

 **"Well, are you a lucky man, or not..."** "..." **"...Well?"** "Stop!" The wheel was starting to slow down after I commanded it to. And the needle landed on a blue tile. **"What!"** The tile had a large "pow" thing on it, so I'm guessing it's going for damage. The shadow knocked down to the ground. **"That was a lucky one!"** And once again, it was doing the roulette wheel all over again. "Heh, let's gamble then!"

On route to Iwatodai strip mall

This is bad! The info I received from my mole was shocking. I needed to get to the others before they are able to succeed with their plan!

"I gotta hurry, I need to hurry!" "Why the rush Shizuka!" "Huh!?" I turned to a random alleyway, only to find a blade slicing my cheek.

"Who's...there!" I saw a person who struck fear into my soul. "Why the hurry to somewhere you'll never reach." "Y-you...what are you doing here, Sadao?" "You should know why," he said while he summoned a physical attack. "ARGGH!" "Are you playing around here? That attack should have been easy to avoid." "I...won't allow you to go there, I won't let you touch either of them!" "Why do you care for total strangers? Well...it matters not why you do, I'll just have to eliminate you to complete my mission." My arms were shaking and my legs were trembling, but, I nonetheless, I grabbed my blade and I readied myself.

I need to do this; I need to protect him...!

Iwatodai strip mall, Dark Hour

 **"H-how!? This doesn't make sense!"** "It's simple - I'm too lucky." **"That's a lie, you are a cheater!"** "Cheater, how so?" The shadow didn't respond to my question. "Well then, do it once more and if I win, you die." **"FINE, BRING OUT THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE!"** When the wheel was brought here, something was different about it. _"This is cheating!"_ The blue area was linear while the red was a lot wider. **"TRY TO WIN NOW!"** "Okay." The wheel began to spin once. I wasn't gonna allow this to trip me up. "Stop!" The wheeling was once again slowing down now. The tile that decided the what would happen was... **"NO, THIS INCONCEIVABLE! THIS NOT HUMANLY POSSIBLE!"** It was blue. "Looks like this human won. So..." The shadow was hit by an unknown force, resulting in it being torn apart. **"YOU CHEAT! THIS WAS UNFAIR!"** "Yeah, well gambling in itself is unfair." The shadow tried to summon a wind spell but it was too weak to even be considered one. After a while, the shadow disappeared.

"Hew, that was something," I said, taking in a calming breath. _"Kazuki-kun, that was amazing!"_ "Talk about a lucky streak, Kei," Yuka-chan complimented me. "Hey, Kazu, how did you get it every single time," Junpei asked. "You see, the magic to that is... Cheating!" "Really, how the hell did you manage that," Jun asked, putting his arm on my shoulder. "Well, I picked this little tactic up when I was playing roulette game on the internet the other day. Basically, it was all about the tile that the needle is on and the one that is diagonally on the right of it." "Hmm, the odds of that working were minimal at best,"Aigis stated. "I know, it was a gamble after all." "But it would've put Makoto-san in danger if your cheat didn't work." For some reason, Aigis was attached to Makoto like glue. It's kind of cute...in a way.

"By the way, Fu-chan did you find our missing trio," I asked. "No, not y-" Before she finished her sentence, multiple explosions. "What the hell was that!?" "I don't know!" Smoke was coming from two different areas. "You all go check that area, I'll go check the other!" _"Kazuki, are you sure! If something_ goes _wrong, and you're_ attacked...!" "I'll be fine." "...Still, we need someone to stay here with Yamagishi," Mitsuru told us. "I will stay," Aigis insisted with her hand raised. "It's settled, let's go! _  
_

We all went to our own destinations. I was starting to wonder why Shizuka wasn't here; because maybe she was apart of that explosion...

An alleyway near the dorm

I was running where Fuuka instructed me to go. So far she was able to find Shizuka, but something was off with her apparently; like she was in a fight! My nerves were starting to feel some sort of-

"Huh?" I saw something in the air. It was a person and the hair. "Shizuka!" I had Skeith catch her. She was all bloodied up with cuts and brushes. "Shizuka, are you okay, SHIZUKA!" She wasn't responding at all. She was heavily injured.

"Step aside." "Huh." A man with an all black robe was walking over to use. "W-who are you?" "I Shizuka is mine, step aside." "You did this to her, didn't!?" "Yes." "You bastard!"

I was going to charge the son of a bitch, but something was tugging at my pants. "(Weakly) Please, don't fight him, he'll kill you!" "...I'm sorry..." I switched to Shadow-mog and I was already at his throat. "Who the fuck are you!?" "You are you aware that you left your support out in the open, right?" "No, we left her with a badass who'll kick any of your asses," I threatened. "The anti-shadow named Aigis? She is not a problem." "Whatever, you should be worried about yourself!" "Hmph."

This is bad, I don't know how many of these guys there are.

"Hmm, I see, you got the objective, good. I'll just wrap things up here..." "What objective!?" "Kazuki...they were after one of us," Shizuka mumbled. "It took us some time to find the moles Shizuka had place in our organization; she did well in avoiding suspicion for this long." "Shizuka, what is going on?" "Kazuki, did you leave Yamagishi alone?" "I left her with Aigis." "No, go back to her, leave me here!" "No way! We're both going to make it out of this!" I dashed back to her in an instant, but I was stopped when something went through my leg. *Stab* "ARGGGGHHHH!" "KAZUKI!" His sword extended in length, that in turn stabbed through my leg. "Now, Shizuka, we have unsettled business. He was approaching Shizuka with another sword in his hand. I put a hand on the blade in my leg, trying to take it out... The more I pulled, the more it hurt. "*Grunting* ARGHHHHHHH!" I was finally able to pull it out and I immediately dashed at him. "Kazuki, don't!" "Foolish!" He evaded my sword by ducking under it. A red mist was forming under him. "Tempest slash!" A skill that the strength shadow used earlier was now being used on me again, and it was much faster than the last one.

*Slash* *Slash* *Slash* "ARGGHHHHH!" "Foolish indeed..." I landed on my back, bleeding from all over my body.

"*Panting* *Panting* *Panting*" "Seems you are still alive. Well, it matters not..." In a last-ditch effort to protect Shizuka, I got back up from the ground without this guy knowing. "Hey." "Hmm?" *Thump* I hit him right in the gut to the solar plexus "UGH!" I sent him flying a couple meters back.

"*Pant* *Pant* *Pant*" "kazuki, are you okay?"

I went over to Shizuka. I picked her up and went towards the sidewalk. "Kazuki, you are hurt, badly!" "I know, but I'm willing to bet that attack won't keep him down for long, so..." All of a sudden, my legs began to give out. *Thud* "Kazuki, are you okay!?" Shizuka's voice was echoing and my vision was fading. "Kazuki, stay awake! Kazuki...!"

10/5 Mon, Tatsumi hospital, morning

*Beep* *Beep* I heard Machines beeping and some light hit me by the side of my side...

"*Groaning*" "Kei-kun!" When I opened my eyes I saw Yukari at my bedside. "Are you okay, I'm surprised you woke up this quickly." "...Yukari...what happened? Is Shizuka all right," I pleaded for an answer. "Shizuka...she's...*sigh* Can you move your leg?" I tried to move it... So far, they seem to be fine. "Yeah, I guess." "Then follow me..."

I got out of my bed and I followed Yukari to where she wanted us to go.

Tatsumi hospital, Rin Shizuka's room, morning

Yukari opened the door to Shizuka's room... "Shizuka...!? Shizuka!" I saw Shizuka hooked up to machines. she had bandages around her arms and probably in other places...

"We did the best we could to heal you guys, but her cuts were deep..." I looked at her intensely... I took her hand and I squeezed it...

"Kei...there's something else you need to know." "What," I growled out. "Umm...Fuuka... She's gone missing."

?,?

*Pant* *Pant* *Pant* I was all bloodied up and cut but it didn't matter, because in the end, I won!

"Masaru, you wanted to see me." I saw a guy with a black suit on. (With a nifty red tie.) He had this smirk that would make a man puke out his soul. "Yeah, I did." "...And let me guess-you want power, right?" "You know how to strike interest, yeah, I do." "Well, come right this way, my boy. I can help you with that."

I got up from the floor, I was staggering a bit but nothing I couldn't handle. I followed the guy (god) that would give me power; enough power to help me with my goal...!"

* * *

 **Well, that was...something. But, this is the start of something awesome, so if you want to see that awesomeness, please follow the story to know when I upload this. Also, do not forget to leave a review; that is an important part of this fic. And as always, ladies and gentlemen, until the next chap; see ya...**

 **FYI: There is no romance shit going on between Ren and Kei... Just thought I get that clear...**


	39. Entering a new world

10/5 Mon, Iwatodai Dormitory, Morning

I pushed opened the door to the dorm. I was walking with bandages under my shirt and on my arms. "Kei-kun, calm down," Yukari tried to calm me down. "No way!" "I know how you feel right now, but you need to settle down!" "No, you don't know how I feel! I need to rescue her, now!" I was on the second floor, near my room. "How are gonna do that, we don't even know where she is!" "I'll...figure it out." "Figure it out? How are gonna do that, by getting yourself hurt; or even killed!?" "I... If that's what it takes..." "No, Kei!" I opened the door to my room, closing the door behind me.

"Kei-kun... Shinjiro-senpai is dead, Minako is gone and so is Fuuka. I think her going missing is revolved around you guys; Shizuka and you. Am I right?" I didn't answer her question, I didn't want to reveal anything...

"Kei-kun... Shizuka gave Mitsuru-senpai something, but senpai told me to give this to you when you..." She slipped something through the bottom of my door. "And if you do somehow find her, please...just be careful; for...her." I picked it and I opened it up...

Pant* *Pant* *Pant* "Well, Masaru my boy, how do you feel?" "I feel...great; powerful even!" I felt a surge of power that I never felt before. ...Even awakening to my Persona didn't feel this good. "That's terrific." I looked back at the boss. "When do I get to test this power," I grinned. "Well, what if I tell you can very soon." "Heh, can't wait...!"

Iwatodai dormitory, evening

Swoosh* *Swoosh* I was practicing my fighting technique, without my weapon. I had been doing this for hours in preparation for my rescue mission. I would have been out of here by now if it wasn't for Shizuka's letter.

" _Kazuki, if you are reading this that obviously means you are alive. However, it means something bad has fallen upon me. I want to tell you not to rush like I usually do, but I know that won't happen; you'll rush off to save Yamagishi. So, instead of slowing you down, I'll tell you where she is... Do you know about the SEBEC building in Mikage-cho? Well, in the basement level of the complex, there is a room with a large machine. Once you get there, there will be a control panel. The instructions for the controls will be on the back of this letter... But Kazuki, once you are in that place, it will be unlike any challenge you have ever faced. So, before you go, please get some training in, be prepared, and above all, don't die... Also, a very important thing: My spy told me what was in store for this plan. In three days, they will kill Yamagishi. So, don't rush off to your death, but yet, move fast to save her... I'll catch up to you when I made a recovery, but until then, go by yourself. And one last thing - I know that this will seem daunting, but I believe that you can do this by yourself; I have faith in you..._

 _-Your mentor, Shizuka_

I punched the air for one last time before stopping.

"Well, time to go..." I picked up the bag full of supplies and I put it on my back. I opened the door out of my room, closing it behind me.

I was on the lounge floor, nobody was here due to all that happened. I heard Shinjiro died the night of the operation. I didn't know how to feel about it at the time, but now, I feel a bit sad but I can't linger on it much longer. "Huh, hm..." I saw a notepad and a pen next to it on the kitchen table. I went over to it and I began to write a letter...

Gekkoukan high, Evening

I was standing in front of Shinjiro-senpais' memorial, prying for his soul. It was only yesterday that he was alive, now...

"Kei, what are you doing here?" I turned around to see who's here. "Kio, are you alright," I asked with concern. "Yeah, I'm fine now. What is that on your back?" He pointed to the bag on my back. "Oh, well... I'm leaving to go rescue Fuuka. And Nobody will stop me from doing so!" "I never said I was," Kio responded quickly. "You entitled to do what you want, and if you want to rescue her I won't stop you. I'm actually curious on where to search." "I...can't tell anyone, sorry." "...Shizuka is probably a reason why." "...!" "Mitsuru and I aren't stupid, we know that there's something with her, and whatever it is might be important for us to know."

He had me at a complete surprise here. It almost felt like I was talking to a different person here; it was almost overwhelming. Still, I couldn't let that stop me. I took steps forward and past Akihiko... "Hey, I want to check something." "What?" I saw Kio ball up his right fist. He quickly threw a punch towards me. And with quick instincts, I was able to raise a leg towards his head. "Why you stop," Akihiko asked. "Same reason you did." My foot was near his head and his fist was near my cheek. "Hm, I got what I needed." "Really?" "Yeah... One last thing, don't get killed. And get her back in one piece." "Got it!" I took my foot away from his head and I exited out of the auditorium but not before seeing Akihiko just looking at Shinjiro's memorial... He isn't crying, nor is he talking, he's just gazing... Is he over it?

 _Hours later_

Mikage-cho, on route to the old SEBEC building, Dark Hour

I was driving past town with Mitsuru's bike. I stole the key from her room while she was at school. She'll be furious when I get back but I didn't have time to think about it, I needed to hurry and rescue her before the three-day deadline. I stopped when I was about to pass a playground. "..." I was gazing at it, replaying old childhood memories.

"No, can't get distracted now!" I shook my head and I began to drive off...

Mikage-cho, old SEBEC building, Basement level, Dark Hour

Thud* I kicked down the last door to the room Shizuka was talking about. "So, this is the basement floor." I saw a giant machine in the middle of the room. I went over to the console Shizuka mentioned. I followed the rest of the instructions that were on the back of the letter. Finally, I pressed the blue button, then, I heard a noise coming from the machine. "All right, looks like that did it." There was a white hole in the machine. I walked over to it, staring at it...

"*Breathing in and out* Here I come, Fu-chan!" I walked right into the white hole and into the depths of unknown territory.

Thud* "Oww!" I face-planted the floor. The floor felt a bit dry...? I got up immediately from the floor, dusting myself off.

"What in the hell?" When I looked at my surroundings, I was outside, but that wasn't what caught my attention. It was the fact that everything around me was destroyed... There was sand on the floor and moving around in the air. "Is this Mikage?"

I walked down a couple blocks of ruined buildings and sand hurling in my face, I was keeping my guard up at all times... I was still in disbelief that this is where this organization comes from...

"Huh, an enemy." I saw something coming from beyond all the dust. I drew my sword and I readied myself. **"Face my power, he ho!"** "Huh!?" I saw something in the air blocking the sun. It was about to descend right on top of me, so, I just sidestepped it. **"HEE HOO!"** As a result, the strange creature crashed to the floor. **"How is this possible, ho!? You dodged my horios attack, Hee!"** "It really wasn't that hard..." When I thought it couldn't get any stranger, it did. I felt something on my head. *Bite* "AHHHH! GET OFF ME!" "*Spit* You have too much hair." "I said...get off!" I threw off the thing that was bitting my head. "Aw, that hurts! You shouldn't throw people like!" "And you bite people!" **"Heenough of this! Ko, let's destroy this fiend!"** "Right!"

The infant climbed on top of the black Jack Frost and the two of them made a pose. **"We are the keepers of peace in this barren world!"** "All evil doers shall fear our awesome powers!"

This was a waste of time. I just walked past them without even taking a second glance at them.

"W-wait! Where are you going!?" "...To find someone." "Who," the kid probed. "A girl." "Ah... Do you need help?" "No." "Are you sure, because I-" "Listen..." I crouched down to the child's level. "I'm going to be doing something dangerous and you seem like an okay kid, so, I don't want you to get caught up in it." "But... Are you sure?" "I am."

I patted the blue haired kid. "Take care of yourself." I got up and I began to walk away to the giant tower.

"...Getting inside the tower isn't easy and it'll be even harder if you have to fight the other factions!" "Factions?" "Yeah, they all have scary men and leaders!" I couldn't believe that this wasteland had such things. "How come?" "Because anyone who isn't apart of a faction isn't a friend to them. Fortunately, I'm apart of a group." "Well then, can you take me to yours. I'll see if I can work out an understanding with them." Fighting right now would be bad. I need all the energy I got. "Mhm, follow me. Oh, goodbye Black Frost." **"See you, he ho. Let's keep up the fight for peace!"** "Okay, tell everyone I said hello.

As we walked away, the Frost waved us goodbye. "Hey, is he apart of a group?" "Yep, it's called the Frost clan. Most of them are nice but the leader is a jerk!" "Ah, I'll make sure to remember that."

While we were walking, the kid climbed up my pants and into my hood. "H-hey, what are you doing, umm...?" "My name is **Ko**!" "Ko, right. Anyway, why are you chilling in my hood." "My feet hurt, so I thought it would be a lot more comfortable like this." "For you." "Yep," he exclaimed. Well, at least he's honest...

It's been a couple of hours now that I have been thrown into this cell. It was clear of any dust or cobwebs. "Okay, once again, Lucia." I tried to search my surroundings and as usual, I can't look past the cell door.

"Hello, check up time. How are we feeling today?" I wasn't going to answer his questions, so I only gave him silence. "Hey, do you hear me? It's me, the dude that was standing in the air like he owned the thing." "..." "Oh, come on! People usually go, 'Oh my god, you're that guy! How are you, how is life'?" "..." "Okay... Maybe you're shy, I get it; you're sweating buckets, you have no idea what to say and you don't know how to say it. Well, if you come over to the door and look at my charming good looks, it'll all be okay." "..." "Okay, I guess that came off as creepy. So you know what, I'll let you see a person that you might know...

He opened the cell door to only let someone in... "Now introducing the new (unofficial) blood: Minako Arisato!" Minako entered the room and looked down at me with a cold stare... 'Minako!?" "Hello, Yamagishi..."

Ruined Mikage-cho, Eastside faction base, underground, morning, 3 days left

"Ko." "Yeah?" "I thought you said you belonged here," I stated. "I do, but..." We had several weapons pointed at us. "Then why are they pointing weapons at us! "...I DON'T KNOW WHY!" "Huh!?"

"Ko, you ain't suppose to bring strangers to our base, you know better!" "Sorry, but he wants to get into the tower." "Then he might as well let us kill him here," one of the members said. "We sent men-good men, and so far, none of them came back at all; even our vice never came back...!" "And furthermore, who are you!?" I pointed my thumb to myself. "I'm Kei Kazuki, and I need to get into that tower. Even if you guys think I'll die, I need to get in there!"

I heard loud footsteps approaching us. "Oh no," Ko quivered. "What?" "...I know those footsteps! It's old man **Tamotsu**!" "What is he a jerk too?" "No, but he'll punish me for bringing a stranger in here. I can't let that happen to me again!" Ko jumped off of me and scurried off. A larger figure appeared in front of us, he was holding a sword that was just as long and just as big as he was. He was also wearing a large white jacket. "You want to scale the tower, boy?" "Yes!" It went dead silent until the giant elder began to laugh. "Bwahahaha! I like your spirit! However, spirit alone won't help you climb it. You need strength." "I have it," I confidently said. "Hm... maybe you do, however, actions speak louder than words. So, prove that it."

His words shock me like it was an earthquake. Nonetheless, I'm up for it! "Fine, I'll prove myself! But, how do I do that?" He cleared through the crowd of people. "Follow me..." As he instructed, I followed him to a room.

Ruined Mikage-cho, Eastside faction's debriefing room, morning, 3 days left

I took a seat on a chair facing the old who was sitting on an even bigger chair than me. "Are you comfortable?" "Yes." He coughed after I answered. "Great." "Um, are you okay," I asked. Yes, I'm fine. Now, on to more pressing matters. To prove you have the strength to pass the first floor, let alone survive in that place at all. Well, prove it right now. ...First! Be my servant for a year! Second: Defeat a god while blindfolded! Then, you might have a chance." "Hell no," I yelled. But he just laughed it off.

"Okay, um...Tamotsu, right?" "Yes, and now that you know that, let's move on."

He threw a map on the table...

"This is the map of the whole city. We have more maps but those are outdated versions. Anyway, what I'll have you be doing is very simple: we have been trying to find a certain treasure for a while now, however, we finally found it, but it's in the west side territory and if any of us go, they most certainly be tipped off to this treasure being right under there noses. So, I'll have you go, and if you are able to deliver the treasure, I'll get you into the tower."

Huh, I thought this would be a lot more difficult, but this seems easy. "All right, I'll get this done and then I'll raid that tower!" "Heh, we'll see. For I need you to go here. He pointed to the x mark and handed me the map. "Okay, I'll get this treasure and you get me into that tower, right?" "Yes, like I said." "All righty then, I'll be right back."

I left the room with the map in hand and a little fetch quest to go along with it. ...I'll be there in no time at all to save you, Fuuka!

Ruined Mikage-cho, Westside, Evening

I was walking in the west side district heading to the place on the map. Along the way, I fought some other people along the way. I was nearing the area where the treasure is at. I found something glowing brighter than any street light underneath some rubble. I cleared the rubble with ease. "This must be it." He did on the back saying find glowy stones. (Who wrote this, a child?)

"Stop right there!" I turned around to see who was halting me from taking the stones. The person who told me looked like they were just as young as me. "Put your hands up slowly!" "Okay." I put up my hands to the air like I was told to. This kid was poking me with a staff. "Where's your faction" "Sorry, I'm new to the town. I don't belong to any." "D-don't play with me! What faction; Eastside, or westside, or maybe you're from bandit territory!?" He started poking me in the ribs. "Ow, can you stop that! I just need these stones and that's it!" "Well, I need them too. And I won't go back empty handed! So, if you want them too, I'll have to take them by force!"

He made a stance with the staff, readying himself for battle. "Here I go!" "W-wait!" He was going to slam the thing to my head, so I brought out my sword, trying to block the oncoming attack. Instead of hitting my sword, it swerved and went straight to my side. *Thump* "ARGGH!" After that, he hastily moved it back to his center and he aimed for my stomach next. I step to the side and I blocked the attack, having the staff slid horizontally on my blade. But the next move was an unexpected one. He flipped the staff around, making the part that already went past my sword land right behind my arms. He lowered them just so he can hit me in the chin. "ARGGHH!" Then, he hit my cheek. Finally, he hit the back of my leg, making me kneel to the ground. He put his staff to my head.

"I'll be taking the treasure now. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry... But, I-" "...Man, you hit hard. And also, I can see that you're desperate, and so am I. Skeith!" I summoned my persona just to scare him off. Despite his legs shaking, he was still holding his ground. "Damn, well, guess that won't work. If I have to fight for them, then I'll do just that!"

I put up my sword, readying myself for a dual... "Ready...GO!" The first chance he had, he thrust his staff towards me, but I blocked it. In response, I counterstrike. We exchanged one blow after the other, making loud crashing noises with each strike. When I swung my sword, the kid hit the blade with the butt of his staff. "Mabufula!" "Huh!?" Multiple blocks of ice hit me in my chest, sending me into the air. "Bufula!" A block of ice shot me in the sky... I sliced it in half and I landed back on the floor. But he quickly closed the gap between him and I. The moment his staff made contact with the floor, ice came launching up at me. "Whoa!"I jumped back to avoid the attack, but I think that was a bad idea. The kid was on my side with a giant icicle heading towards my side. It was out of instinct, but I launched an Ocean's stream attack at him. It went crashing through a couple buildings.

"Oh shit!" I ran over to where the kid had stopped at. "Hey, are you..." I stopped midsentence when I saw a little ice cocoon was protecting him. However, he was unconscious. "Thank goodness I didn't kill him!"

I looked at the corner of a store. "Yo, Ko, since you're here, can you help me here?" "Huh!? How did you know I was here?" "You aren't that sneaky. So, can you help me?" "Um, sure."

Runied Mikage-cho, the shopping district, Late night, 2 days left

"*Groaning*" "Rise and shine," I said with an energetic tune. "Y-you! That skill, what did you do to me!?" "...Sorry, my instincts kicked in and I sort of just used it on you by accident." "On accident? Oh, what about those either stones!? I presume you claimed them. And above all, why are you still here; also, why don't I feel like I got hit by an Agi spell?" "Whoa, one question at a time, man. I had this little guy heal you up, and I stayed because I didn't want a demon strolling on along while you were resting. And as for those stone, what are they for?" He had a baffled look on his face. "You don't know what they are for but you want them anyway?" "No, someone told me to get them." "I see..." The kid shook his head and looked at me with a serious expression. "Let's continue!" "No." "What? Why not?" "One, because I really don't have time for this. Two, because I won. Three, why do you need these." "Because I need to save my home!" "..."

Runied Mikage-cho, Northside, Late night, 2 days left

"Hm, fine ladies all around. But you, you are a fine lady. Hehehe." *Spit* The lady he was talking to spat on the bandit's face. "You little bitch! You better hope that brat brother of yours brings back those either!" "Sorry for you, but he knows better. **Susumu** is never coming back here!" "You damn dirty liar! I never liked hurting beautiful women, but now, for lying to me, I need to punish you."

He pushed the girl down to the ground and he raised his fist towards to her. "Sorry, love. But you really shouldn't lie to me! But I will say, you put up a good fight..." He was about to drive his fist towards the girl until I threw one of those either stones at him. *Thump* "ARGHH!" "Bufula!" "Magnara!" The two spells hit the bandit at the same time. "Sister!" "Susu!" They both ran towards each other and hugged. "This reminds me of Naoya and me." "Who's Naoya," Ko asked. "Oh, he's my cousin, but he feels like more of a brother to me than anything." "Brother..."

"You stupid children! Now he'll kill us all!" "You should've just given him what he wanted!" The citizens are getting out of control from this sudden turn of events. "Boy..." The ice and the earth skill broke at the same time. "You, right there," he pointed to me. "Yeah." 'You just threw that either stone at me?" "Yep." I think that response angered him because the gloves he had on were beginning to glow red. "I shall punish you as well." "Come and try it." "I--The king of bandits will punish you!"

This battle was about to get started with this bandit king, and I was looking to get done with this battle in a flash...

?,?, 2 days left

Minako looked different. Her hair was let down and she had glasses on. "Minako, where are we? And what happened to everyone else during the operation?" "..." I felt nothing coming from her, even using my abilities. It's almost like she...

"Rin Shizuka is in the hospital, she'll possibly die due to her injuries. And as for Kei Kazuki, he is here in this world, coming to save you. "...!" He's here...? "Does this news shock you? Are you excited that you get to be saved from this; you must feel really happy, huh?" "These people won't harm him, right? I said I would give my life for my friends, so you can't hurt him!" "I don't know the details about this deal you have conducted... Take it up with someone else."

She began to walk towards the prison door. "Minako..." "Hm?" "What about Makoto-kun... How would he feel about this." "He'll understand why I'm doing this; it's all for him..." She exited out of the cell, leaving me by myself. "Kei, you shouldn't have come... Not for me."

 **Sorry for the wait, but here it is. We're almost to 40 chapters too, hooray! Also, I hope you guys are ready for this because this'll get really awesome. (While being consistent, hopefully.) So anyway, please follow the story so you can know when this series gets updated, and also, leave a review in the review box because feedback does help. Without anything else to say, I hope that you guys enjoyed reading this chap and until the next chapter: see ya.**

 **A Kei Kazuki special**

 **Kazuki: Hey, Fu-chan, did you order something?**

 **Fuuka: Yes, I actually bought some new clothes.**

 **Kazuki: Cool.**

 **Fuuka: I need to see if it looks good on me.**

 **Kazuki: Want me to tell you if it is?**

 **Fuuka: Sure, but I need to change first.**

 **Kazuki: Gotcha.**

 **A minute later**

 **Fuuka: You can come in now**

 **Kazuki: Let's see what we...**

 **Fuuka: I think the "Flash" on the jacket is a bit too much, and the mismatch tights are also strange too. Um, Kazuki-kun?**

 **Kazuki: What? Oh, right, umm...**

 **Fuuka: Are you okay?**

 **Kazuki: Absolutely!**

 **Fuuka: Kazuki-kun, blood is coming from your nose!**

 **Kazuki: Worth it. I will die a happy dude...**

 ***Thud***

 **Fuuka: KAZUKI-KUN!**


	40. A fool and thunder in the desert

10/6 Tues, Ruined Mikage-cho, Northside. late at night, 2 days left 

"So, which one of you would like to be punished?" "Are you some kind of pervert," I blatantly asked. "No, I only seek to punish those who dare defy me, the bandit king!" "That's a mouthful..." "Are you mocking me, the..." "We already know your name, dude." The gloves began to glow red. "Maragilao!" Two different pillars of fire were making their way towards me. "Bufula!" "Magnara!" The siblings blocked the attack with ice and earth with skills. Hm, this might be quicker if they help me.

"Hey, can you guys help me with this guy... I'm kind of in a hurry." "A hurry...?" "Look out!" When I turned around after Susumu warned me, a fist made contact to my cheek. "Do you think you can ignore me: the bandit..." I grabbed the arm he punched me with to stop me from tumbling. Then, I jumped towards him so I can dig my knee into his face. And without fail, that's what I did. "AUGHHH!" After that, I summoned Skeith to hit him in the face. "Mazionga!" The blast from the electrical attack destroyed Skeith.

"Hey, I thought you can only use fire?" "A king like me can do anything!" "I'm not so sure of that," I stated while swiping away the dust around me. "However, boy, you should feel lucky to have this opportunity to face off against me, you know?" What is he talking about? "For you see... I-" "We don't care," I interrupted. I was getting sick of him saying he's the king of bandits. "Hey, can you just attack me instead of talking," "...Fine, I guess this fight has dragged on for long enough, time to end this with an attack befitting of a punishment. And also..." He went on for another minute about punishments and flexing his title. I just ran towards him while he was distracted... However, when I was about to kick him right in the neck, he suddenly ducked down just to sweep my legs *Thud* "Gotcha!" He hit me with his fist, ice backing up the hits. He picked me, holding me up into the air...

"Do you see what a tactical genius I am? My boastful nature lures all my pray towards me; and the ladies... He cocked his fist. The gem in his glove began to glow green "I call this one..." He lifted his fist towards my chin, making contact with it. *Thump* "...KNOCKING THE WIND OF YOU," the bandit king triumphantly expressed. "Bufula!" A block of ice was heading for his back. "I am tired of hearing that attack name!" He shot a fireball at the ice attack. "HAA!" Susumu tried to hit the bandit with his staff, but he just snapped it in two. He then grabbed Susumu by the neck. The sister charging towards the bandit with a knife. "Hana, wait!" "Hm, I guess she knows I am to die for. And she's right!" When he let go of Susumu, he stomped him in the face and was about to launch a wind attack. "Hey, look what I have," I called out to the bandit. "Huh, what do you- WHAT THE HELL!" He was surprised because of the fact that I was waving his glove around. "When did you take that!?" "Guess." "Why you...!" He pointed his other glove at me. Well, that's what he thought he was doing... "W-w-w-WHAT THE HELL!" His other glove wasn't on. "I believe you are looking for this," Susumu said with a cocky smile on his face. I pointed towards the incoming attack coming his way. *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* Multiple pieces of the earth hit the bandit in the face and in the chest. "ARGGGHHHH!" He was sent flying into a building. *Crash* We began to walk over to him...

"Back away!" When the dust cleared, we saw him holding someone hostage. "Ko!" "Somebody help me!" "How did he get you!?" "He came crashing over to me!" "Stand back you two, I only want to see her!" The bandit pointed to the sister. "Let him go, he has nothing to do with this!" "I don't care! In this world, you use what you can get your hands on, you little shit!" I couldn't do anything. Except... Damn...this is gonna suck. "Hey..." "Huh, HEY!" I grabbed the girl by the wrist and I wrapped my arm around her neck, making it look like I was taking her hostage. "Hana!" "What are you doing you crazy bastard!" The two boys were yelling at me to let her go and the bystanders were just watching in silence. "Let me go!" I went close to her ear and whispered, "Just play along, this is how I'll nail this bastard." And I guess she agreed to play along because she did hit me with an earth spell yet.

"What are you doing? She's mine! I claimed her as my own property!" This guy sickens me. "Too bad, I play by another set of rules. Besides, you seem like a piece of trash rather than a king." "Watch your tongue," the bandit stated with some venom backing those words. Hm...maybe I should taunt him a bit more. "You know, you look rather lame for a bandit king, I thought guys like that were supposed to be cooler looking rather than like a loser? All well, guess beggars can't be choosers, and you should know, right...?" "You little bastard! You are nothing but the sand I walk on! I am a superior human than the lot of you!" "Then prove it." I moved the girl out of the way. "...Stab me right here, right now!" Instantly, he dropped Ko to the ground and thrust his knife at towards me. "DIE, SCUM!" "Hmph." I summoned Skeith's right arm and had it hit him square in the face. "*Muffled scream*" Before he hit the floor, I grabbed his wrist, squeezing it to make him drop the knife.

"This must be embarrassing for you?" "Ah..ah...ahhh! Please let me go! I'll never come back here again and I'll never..." I heard something move below me; the knife. "...So, will you let me go?" "Sure." "Ah, thank you!" "...After I'm done with you." "Huh!?" I summoned Skeith's leg to have it stomp on the knife. "Shit!" "Well, guess I won't feel too bad for this... Not like I was going to anyway." "W-wait!"

I had Skeith hit him in the face again. Then in a bunch of times in the chest. After that, Skeith uppercutted him and punched him while he was in mid-air. "And this for wasting my time!" And for the finishing blow, Skeith punched him in the jaw with enough force send him flying through the building behind him, and into another one behind that building.

"Well, that takes care of that." I began to walk away with my hands in my pocket while Ko climbed up into my hoodie. "Kazuki-bro, you were so awesome! What was that thing you made?" "You mean my Persona? Well, it's apa- I mean, it's like a thing that I can call on when I want to." "Hey, can I do it, too," Ko eagerly asked. "I don't know? Not everybody can do it. ...I mean, I'm not the only one who can to do it; my friends and my girlfri-"

A thought about Fuuka popped into my head before I finished my sentence. What am I doing - I should be getting into that damn tower! I was going to take those stones with me and get my one-way ticket into that place.

"Hey, you..." The girl's name who I think is Hana walked over to me. "Hey." *Smack* She smacked me across the face. "Ow, what the hell was that for!?" "You taking me hostage, that's what!" "Okay, one that was for a plan. Two-sorry!" She had an irritated look on her face. "Sorry, my ass! Also, was this just a nuisance for you?" "What do you mean?" "You were complaining how this was a waste of time. Well, why is it?" I guess I was acting like this was a huge waste of time. "Sorry, it's just... I need to get into that tower as fast as I can!"

Hana looked silently at the tower... "I see... Well, you should give up." "Huh, why should I!?" "Everyone who goes in there never comes out, Nobody at all. So, what chance do you have?" I wanted to grab her by the collar, but I resist the urge to. "Whatever, you can say that, but I'm still gonna try to raid that thing, and I'll save her!" She had this pissed expression on her face. "Only fools go into that tower. And only fools believe that hope remains in this godforsaken world..."

"Careful, it's about to sink," a random civilian yelled with urgency. "What's about to sink," I questioned. "Another part of this area." "Huh!?"

"Hey, who is saving that bandit?" I turned back around to see who it was. When I did, an electrical beam shot out through the hole that Skeith made. "What was that!?" "I don't know!"

We saw somebody walking from the dust that was built up from the attack. "Hmph, it seems like this pathetic fool couldn't do something as simple as getting what I wanted." "I-I-I-I'M SORRY MASTER!" Master...? "You would've won if you haven't acted like a clone!" "FORGIVE ME!" He was pleading with all the life that he can display. "...Did that boy defeat you?" "Y-y-YES!" "Hm... If you really are sorry, then I'll need you to do one thing to be back in my favor." "Y-yes...?" "...Die to preserve my honor!" "N-N-NO! FORGIVE ME...!"

The bandit's master electrified his spear. It had enough energy to kill him. I felt the energy from where I was standing; it was on a different level than that king. Nonetheless, I sprinted towards him. "Do you wish to die, boy?" "No!" I struck him with my sword, but he was able to block the attack.

"Nice strike, but would you like to see how strong my strike is!" When he struck back with his spear, the weight of the attack was unreal; I felt my whole body was shaking. "Ziodyne !" I saw a bolt of lightning coming down from above.

I blocked it with my sword but that gave this guy a chance to land a hit on me. He hit me multiple times with his back side of his spear. He thrust the spear at me one last time, and before it connected, I activated shadow-mog. I caught the spear before contact was made.

"This is odd. You seem to possess more power than I thought ...However..." The spear produced a large amount of electricity in an instant. "*Grunting*" "Maybe this isn't enough to fry a rat like you. Strike, Gungnir!" All the electricity shot out from the spear. Some of it actually hit me and the result of that attack made me yell out in pain "AAAHHHH!" I got away him as quickly as possible "That seems to have done the trick, so, let's go for more, shall we?"

When slashed the air with his spear, lightning-like blades would shoot out towards me. Dodging them wasn't as easy as I thought it would be, my old wounds weren't completely healed, so when that Zio spell hit me, I think it might've opened some of those wounds. The Zio user kept up the onslaught of attacks and I was able to dodge most of the attacks (with some making a little bit contact.) until the unexpected happened. "Crap!" Shadow-mog just gave out on me. It must've been one minute since I activated shadow-mog. "I have you know. He made another Zio attack, this time, it connected. " GAAAHHH!" "Now, to..." He was interrupted when a piece of the ground launched at him. With the wave of his spear, he was able to destroy the attack. "Right, I forgot about you annoying pest!"

He was going to launch another Zio attack at Hana, but Ko bit down on his arm. "GAAHHH! YOU STUPID BRAT!" He flung Ko off his arm and he tried to reach for his spear but wasn't able to due to his legs being submerged in ice. "You damn sons of..." "Everyone, an all-out attack on me," I yelled with some urgency.

Susumu grabbed the two pieces of his staff, Hana brought out her knife, Ko jumped into my hoodie and clung to my neck. (He has a good grip.) And I had my sword in hand. All of us rushed towards him.

"Spark field!" I saw a bunch of sparks appearing out of nowhere. The Zio user's hand was electrified. "EXPLOAD!" All of the sparks simultaneously exploded with electrical energy. *BOOM* We all burst out, screaming in pain. All the damage combined with some blood loss made me fade out of consciousness. **"...Pathetic."** I saw that shadow again before I hit the ground...

Ruined Mikage-cho, Eastside underground, morning, 2 days left

I smelled a really bad odor, so bad, it made me jolt right up from my back. "Gah! That smells horrible! Ow! That hurts like hell!" "Glad to see you aren't dead." I heard this gruff voice before. "Mr. Tamotsu? Did you save me? Wait, what about Ko and that Zio user?" "Ko is fine, he's sleeping in his room. And as for that Zio user... You really shouldn't ask about him anymore, it's for the better," Mr. Tamotsu said with this scary look on his face. "Did you..." "...I took care of him, so stop asking." "Oh, okay."

I suddenly remembered the ether stones. "Hey, what about those either stones!?" "Don't worry, we have them. And as promised, we'll let you get in there. However, we need to do something first." "What!?" I felt a nerve snap. "What do you mean we have to do something first? I have to run another favor for you; screw that, I want into that damn tower, now!" Mr. Tamotsu didn't say anything, he was quiet for my mini rant.

"...Are you done now," Tamotsu calmly questioned. "Y-yeah...I am." "Good, because I need you to come with me to a meeting." "A meeting? For what?" "Well, if this meeting goes to plan, then we can get to raiding the tower..." "Oh, okay."

I got out of bed, well, I more or less stumbled out of bed. I also noticed that I had no shirt on, and my hoodie was missing. "Um, where is my shirt and hoodie?" "In the trash." "WHAT!?" I saw the trash bin behind and it had my shirt and hoodie in it. I fished it out stuff. "Why did you throw this out," I yelled at Mr. Tamotsu. "I thought you wouldn't need it anymore since it's beaten up." "Well, you're wrong. Is there someone who can repair my stuff?" "Well, there is a blacksmith who can repair them, but he'll do it for a price." "Name it!" "23.000¥" "Here..." I handed him the money. "Good, this should cover the cost. Now, get some something else to wear in the meantime and wait for me near the exit." "Got it."

I grabbed a nearby jacket and I put it on, zippering it up. I then exited out of the room we were in...l

the gathering hall of the four, morning, 2 days left

We left the underground with a few men guarding us. When we arrived at our destination, one of the guards revealed a hidden basement door. "It's all clear, you can go in, boss," the guard on lookout said. "Open it," Mr. Tamotsu instructed. "Right!" The guard did as he was told. The basement door was opened, it revealed stairs to go down further and it seems big enough for Mr. Tamotsu to fit in.

"Let's go, kid." We both descended down into the basement...

10/6 Tues, Port island, Tatsumi hospital, Morning, 2 days left

"Ah! Shit, guess it didn't heal me fully, but, I guess it's better than nothing." I put on the spare clothes that I found on the chair next to me. I'm guessing it's from Kazuki since I found a letter saying spare cloths which was in his handwriting. I heard the door to my room fly open. "Ah, I see you're finally awake. We have something to discuss." "We do now?"

I grabbed a hold of the handle of the chair. "Shizuka...we have some questions for you and I want the truth, so I brought Aigis with me." The mechanical girl walked into the room with a sundress on. Lying obviously won't work here...

"No lie shall get past me," Aigis stated. "Alright then, let's begin. What is your name?" She wants to see if Aigis can detect lies. "Rin Shizuka." "She is telling the truth," Aigis clarified. "Okay then - during the Yakushima trip there was a report of an abandoned being destroyed, did you have something to do with?" "No." "She is telling the truth..."

This went on for a couple of minutes now. These questions were meaningless and served no purpose other than to figure out what big question to ask.

"Alright then, let me ask this - how did you get you have an Evoker when the school froze over? I make sure to put all Evokers away when we aren't out to Tartarus and operations." "..." "Answer the question," Aigis told me. "I...had another." "She is telling the truth." It was pointless to lie about it. "Did you steal it from the Kirijo group Research and development?" "Yes." "Another truth," Aigis said as if she's counting with a scoreboard. "Where do you come from? What is your hometown?" "...Port Island." "Truth." "Okay then, one last thing - do you know the people who are terrorizing my city?" As she asked her question, I clenched my fist with the reality that I might be in too deep. "Yes." "She's telling the truth." "..." Kirijo stood there in silence. "...Does Kazuki know about this?" "Yes," Aigis confirms it to her. "Is he a traitor?" "No." "Truth." Mitsuru rubs her temples. "...Is he different from the rest of us?" "What do you mean by that," I asked, knowing what she meant. "There was the time when he went berserk in the mine, he nearly destroyed Aigis and cracked all of Arisato's fingers on one hand. And there are times when he has a sudden power boost out of nowhere. So, I'll ask again: is he a human being or not?"

Her question seemed rather cruel but I can understand...

"Kazuki is... A human being." "She's telling the truth. However, I have high doubts about that statement," Aigis interjected with her opinion. "Nonetheless, it's true. So, what will happen now?" "Now, I want you to put these on." She presented handcuffs in front of my face. "Or...?" "Or you'll find yourself wanted in Port Island." "What about Kazuki?" "We'll decide on that later. For now, you should worry about yourself..."

Kirijo handed Aigis the cuff. "Hey, Aigis, can you say if this true or not?" "What?" "I don't care if I become wanted!" "You're telling the truth!"

I swung the chair with all my might at her, which resulted in her getting knocked to the ground. I then kicked Kirijo in the chest and made a dash for the door. When I opened the door, there were two guards waiting in between the door. I punched one of them in the stomach, I then hit the other in the face with my leg. Flipping the other to the ground, I grabbed their gun and I then proceeded to hit the other one in the face with the butt of the gun...

I called to get out of here. The elevator arrived, it was empty. However, I heard something mechanical coming from my room; it was Aigis. "Capture her Aigis!" "Engaging target!" She was charging right for and so when she lunged at me, I ducked down to avoid the attack. She landed in the elevator, so I quickly pressed the floor for the roof. "Wa-!" The door closed on her before she could finish. "I'll just take the stairs then."

I ran for the staircase. I descended down as quickly as possible before the police or security could box me in. I opened the door to the first floor. I saw a few officers entering the hospital now. ...I have to get out of here without arousing attention towards myself. "Hmm... Huh?" I saw a vent right next, it's not too small for me not to fit in. All that's left is for a diversion; the gun can help with that. I took off the cover to the vent before making my move. I then fired two shots into the wall. After that, I hid inside of the vent before they came into the stairwell. *Door opening* "She must've gone upstairs, let's go!" They all ran upstairs, moving past me.

I pushed the cover out of the vent and I put it back on once I got out of it. I put up the hood of my hoodie and I began to make my way out of the hospital... I need to get to Mikage-cho, but first: I need a car...

* * *

 **Too dead to even say anything... Please follow the story if you want to know when I upload a new chap. And until I recover from my deadness; see ya.**

 ***Proxy dies***


	41. The joint operation

?,?

Ah, Sadao, just the man I want to see." "What is it **M**?" "Yeah, I just wanted to know something. Do you think Kazuki is coming here?" "He has already entered this world, so you make your own guess. And besides, I don't care for someone like him." "Why not? Don't like the head-strong type." "Those types are useless to me..." "Ah, so that's why you supervised Shizuka. ...However, I hear there were more kids like her, what happened to them?" "They were failures, and failures are unacceptable." "Hmm, okay, I just wanted to check up on you; ya seem like a lonely young man." "I could care less for your concern... Also, I want to know something, M." "What?" "I heard from one of the Yatagarasus that you summoned two different Personas to your side." "No." "Hm?" "I didn't summon Personas, but demons." "Why would you need to?" "Well, I wanted to see something, and I have mixed feelings about the result. I mean, it was impressive he was able to fend off their attack, but at the same time, I know that... Ah, never mind. I guess that detail doesn't matter. ...All that matter is the fun that'll follow, right?" "..." "Okay, I can take a hint." I was leaving Sadao's room with little to no change of my opinion on Kazuki. Although, Rin Shizuka and those other kids he took under his wing caught my attention. I think I'll try to learn more when I have time...

Ruined Miakge-cho, The gathering hall of the four, Morning, 2 days left

When we entered the room, we were greeted by a guy who was dressed in a classy way. He also had a camera strapped around his neck. "*Chuckle* Still wearing that old jacket Tamo-chan." "Why do you think you're allowed to call me that, you fool." "Sorry, I forgot not to call you that." "You always forget." "Funny, right?" The cameraman looks over to me. "Is this the weird kid you were talking?" How am I weird? "Yeah, but my name is Kei Kazuki," I asserted. "I'm Arata. it's great to meet you."

I looked around the room. There was only the three of us. "Don't worry, more are coming." "Can they hurry?" "Why the rush? I mean, the tower isn't going anywhere." "He'll explain why when the meeting starts," Tamotsu stated. "Alright then, I guess I'll just find a good seat to take pictures." "Arata, take this seriously." "I am..."

I heard footsteps coming from the entrance. I saw Susumu and Hana. "What are they doing here?" "The boy is the representative for the north. Originally, their dad was the rep. but when he went into the tower the responsibility went to his son since he was the most eligible." Who knew that he had that much weight on his back... Shortly after them, another Person came into the room. He looked like a bandit. "Ah, **Takeo: the bandit king**." "Wait, he's the bandit king? But I fought someone else who said he was the king." "Hmm... Must've been the previous king, I heard he has gone insane he was dethroned; kept going on about how he was still the king, and eventually just became a joke amongst other bandits..." No wonder it was easy to beat him. "Good, it seems like we can get started," Arata said while adjusting his camera.

Arata, Tamotsu, Susumu, and the bandit king took their seats... "Is this meeting being broadcast?" "Kazuki, can you start the broadcasting?" "Sure, just tell me how." With Arata's instructions, I was able to begin the broadcast of this meeting.

"Right, now we can begin," Tamotsu said. "So, why did you call a meeting." "Takeo, always cutting to the matter at hand," Arata stated. "I just wish to know why I'm here." "Don't worry, this won't be a waste of your time." "Then tell me why it won't be." "...Because Arata and I have a plan to raid the tower." "What?" Takeo didn't seem surprised by this, rather irritated. "Why did you call a meeting then. Go do what you want, I don't care." Takeo sat up from his seat. "We didn't plan on doing this separately," Tamotsu revealed. "Hm, what are you getting at?" I saw a smirk on Tamotsu's face. "Mr. Tamotsu, Mr. Arata, you want to have all four of us work together?" "Wow, smart kid!" Hana widened her eyebrow as she realized what her brother had just said. "Why the hell would we do something like that? You know that's not going to happen. We all want out of this shithole, but there isn't enough room for four clans..." "We know that and none of us plan clear the tower. Tamotsu and I talked about this for a while, and we concluded that this would be the best way for us to get through the tower." "Why wait to initiate this plan now," Susumu asked. "We didn't really know who would lead the charge. That was until Kazuki came along." "Why is that kid important?" "Because he might be powerful enough to actually get this plan off its feet." "Wait, why should we trust this stranger? For all we know, he might just want the benefits."

Takeo looked over to me... "Sorry, but give me one good to help you?" "I don't want to clear it." "Huh?" "I don't want any of the benefits from that place; none of that is my concern. I just need to save somebody from being executed." "Executed? What do you mean," Susumu asked. I began to explain why I was here and why I wanted into that tower...

"This is a serious matter to you." "Yeah, and the only thing I want is to just save her. So, if I need to do something to get you to help with this, then I will." I bowed, pleading for the help I might just need...

"...Shut your trap." "..." "Arata, what's your plan for this?" Takeo sat back in his seat. "I'm glad you asked..." Arata got up from his seat and stood in front of us. "As most of you know, we're given keys by the people in the tower. However, Tamotsu and I used nearly all of our keys for a little project. (Also taking into account the keys Takeo sold off.) So, that dwindles us down to...two keys." He presented the keys from his pocket. "The problem is that we only have two, but we devised a plan around that." He pocketed the keys and put both of his index fingers. "This what we'll do for this joint operation: We'll send a small team of the strongest warriors of this place; Kazuki will be apart of that team. Doing so will use up the first key. Now, the second key is for the rest of us." "The rest," I asked. "Yes, while your team is in there, we'll be getting ready for the true raid." "Wait, what's his team for then," Hana questioned. "They'll be the ones to get us up there. It'd be a waste to prepare an army just so it can get destroyed while climbing the tower... So, this is the best option. Any questions?" "We sent in men who good on the battlefield and even they never came back out, or even cleared the second floor," Hana interjected. "That's right, we sent good men, but not the best." Hana didn't try to argue back. "Now, this is the final part of this meeting: the majority vote.

This it, the part that can make or break this plan. Either way, I'm getting into that tower! "Any who wish to go forward with this plan, raise your hand, and if not, then don't raise them..."

Tamotsu obviously raised his hand. "If Kazuki is on that team and if we're putting warriors that excel at fighting, then I see no reason not to agree with this." Susumu raised his hand. "Susu, are you sure?" "I am, Hana." It was three upvotes, so this plan is really going to happen. "You know what I say to this whole thing: it's an insane plan to boot." "Takeo, you don't have to like it, nor do you have to..." "Don't put words into my mouth. ...This plan is insane, however, it might work if we get the right people. So..." Takeo raised his hand. All four of the clan leaders had agreed to this plan. "Now that's in order, we need to gather the strongest in each of our districts. Luckily, Tamo-chan and I had already done that. Takeo, Susumu: I want you two to get your strongest by the afternoon. Kazuki, I want you to come with me so you can get some equipment." "I don't need any more weapons; I have one already have a good weapon." "Then I'll supply you guys with items." "Sounds good."

Everyone got up from the table. "Okay, this meeting is officially closed."

The tower, Fuuka's prison, Morning

All day I've been trying to make a connection to Kazuki. I seemed to have gotten strong enough to see past the door of this cell. However, I'm not able to look past this floor...

I saw Minako making her way here. I lifted my Persona and my body became tense as she opened the door. "Hello..." "..." "Are you still angry? Why are you though?" "For Shinjiro-senpai." "I didn't kill him." "But you could've stopped it." "Possibly. However, him living or dying was no concern of mine." "How can you say that!? He was our teammate." "I guess he was, but his guilt and his concern for Ken is what got him killed. So really, he was dead already, from a mental point of view" "What does Ken-kun have to do with it?" "I forgot to tell you that? On the night of SEES' operation, Ken lured Shinjiro to the alley behind the station. And when he came, Ken was threating to kill him, but he had a weak will and ended up not killing him... Rather, Takaya ended up killing him. However, you know about that part." "..." "Do you want to know why Ken wanted him dead...? It's because Shinjiro killed Ken's mother," Minako' voiced raised as she revealed why Ken-kun wanted Shinjiro-senpai dead.

"But do you really care? Or do you just want me to tell you what Kazuki is doing?" "..." "...He's going to enter the tower soon, and when he does, he'll find this place to be different than Tartarus. And to be honest: his chances are minimal the way he is now." "..." "He truly is a pathetic human being, to be honest." I stood up from the floor. "...Always trying to act like he's the brave, daring hero of this whole thing; and you idiots thought so as well! But do you know that your hero is more dangerous than anyone shadow out there? He's just a ticking time bomb that's going to go off sooner or later. And the moment everything in his little perfect world goes wrong; he'll go off and then he'll see what it's like to be in a never-ending hell." I balled up my fist. "...And you know what: I'll be the one to break that fake bravery and reveal what reality is really like." "...!" *Slap* Something in me had snapped. My hand had moved on its own and made contact to Minako's face. "Don't you dare say anything else...!" "*Chuckle* Looks like you aren't as passive as I thought." "..." "I can see that little conviction yours isn't going anywhere, however, there is the factor that you'll be dead soon... Enjoy whatever time you have left..."

Minako closed the cell door behind her... My hand was throbbing and it felt like it was getting cut by the air when it was traveling to Minako's face. Why is he coming here...

"Ow..."

Ruined Mikage-cho, at the entrance of the tower, afternoon, 2 days left

I was standing in front of the tower, waiting for the other members of this team. To be honest: I was anxious to get into this tower. I began to train not too long ago. I was beginning to feel comfortable using my legs as a means of attacking...

"You shouldn't get worked up before entering the tower." I looked behind me to find Susumu. "Hey." "Hello, Kazuki." "Why you here?" "Well, I came to open the door to the tower when all of you are here." "Oh, Hey, who did you choose?" "...Hana." This took me by surprise because she told me that going into the tower was a stupid thing to do. "I don't know why she wants to go, she's always told me that going inside the tower is what foolish men who dream of grandeur." "Do you think I fit the criteria," I jokingly asked. "No, you're doing this for a grander goal..." I never knew why people here tried to scale the tower. Do they even get anything out of it?

"Why do you guys climb the tower? I mean, I heard Takeo say there isn't enough room for more than one clan. What does that mean?" Susumu put his hand on his chin. "We were told this: the clan who makes it through the tower is given a spot in paradise." "Does that mean you get to live in there?" "Don't know, but we think it's a way out of this place." "That must be it." "It's only a theory, so I can't say that's certain for sure..."

He seemed calmer compared to when I first met him. I mean, now that I get the whole picture, I knew why he was nervous... "Kazuki, when I left from the meeting room, I saw you looking at a random park area. You looked like you were deep in thought, so I left you alone." "Oh. It was nothing, I was just daydreaming..." Daydreaming, that's all that was.

"You know, it's hard being the leader of some many people. Not for obvious reasons, but out of fear." "Fear?" "Fear that I'll fail them, or fear that I am failing them right now." "Whoa, calm down. I don't think you're failing them in any way. In fact: I thought you were the type of guy to think you had everything down." "I had hoped so. ...I want to make everyone in the north to feel as if I can handle my duty. It's honestly stressful sometimes. But, my father used to tell me things about being a leader, like, 'The people's hope is in their leader, so always remain strong to keep up their hope.' Stuff like that." "That sounds pretty cool." "Yeah, my dad wa-is a pretty cool person," he said with a melancholy tone. "What's your dad like, Kazuki?" "Oh, I don't know my dad, so I really don't know." "Oh...I'm sorry for my ignorance" Susumu bowed as an apology. "No, it's cool, man! You didn't mean to be offensive..."

Susumu was the leader of many people at his age, and it now just hit me that he's a kid with doubts and faults. Even so, he seems like he's able to be a leader that the north would need right now... Speaking of the north, why was part of it sinking?

"Hey, why was a part of the north sinking?" "...That's from the war?" "What war?" "A war against the people in the tower. It was a brutal and destructive battle; and due to that destruction, the north suffered the most..." Damn, that would sound pretty cool as a movie, yet hearing that actually happened is terrible. "However, no matter how destructive it got, the tower remained unscathed. Although, it was said that the inside of the tower was shaken, and it was shaken by one man who had the destructive power that of an entire army." Now, this sounded cool... "Who was he?" "I don't know, neither does Takeo. Although Mr. Arata and Mr. Tamotsu knew who did it, However, they never revealed that information... On the other hand, the war veterans know him by his nickname." "What is it?" Susumu looked toward the sky."...The one who shuck heaven." If someone that powerful exists I wonder why they haven't cleared the tower yet.

"Looks like they finally arrived." "Hm...?" I saw three figures climbing up the stairs... "This is it, I suppose." The first one to appear looked just as young as me, or maybe younger. He was wearing an all black cloak. "Your that Kei Kazuki kid that was at the meeting." "Kid? Um, I think I might be older than you." "You're a child in my eyes until proven otherwise and age doesn't matter much to me, so don't wave it around like it's a title." Damn, didn't think that would happen. I saw the second member of this team. He had a school uniform on, but it was just a regular sailor suit-like uniform. "This is where the toughest of the tough are gathering?" "I would think so." "Sweet, I'm **Ryota**." He stuck out his hand. "Nice to meet you too." I took hold of it. "...And you really don't need to know his name." He pointed to the other guy next to him. "Shut your mouth, imbecile! I'm **Hisoka.** And the only reason I'm here is because of my other half." "Other half? You need to save someone, too?" "No, the other half of my payment." Ah, so he's a paid assassin, or maybe a mercenary? (Aren't they the same...?)

"What district do you two belong to," Susumu asked. "Heh, I belong in the west," Ryota stated with a confident grin on his face. "Stop grinning you fool! I'm from the south," Hisoka said...

"Hey, where's Hana," I asked. "She should be here by now." I heard footsteps coming from the stairs. "*Pant* *Pant* *Pant*" Sounded like someone was running up here. And said person finally made it up here; it was Hana and she was wearing battle attire for this I see... She had a familiar shade of green on her back. "Hey...Susu." "Hana, you're a bit late." "Sorry, I had to get some equipment... And someone else along the way" "Lady, you're all sweaty!" "Quiet, you!" That voice! "Hey, Ko, is that you?" "You know this kid?" "Yeah, why is he hanging off your back? Scratch that, why is he here?," I asked, most likely knowing the answer which gave way to some anger. "The boss told me to go." "Why the hell would Tamotsu tell you to go?" "He said because I'm the best and only good at healing in the east. Which means I can be helpful in there," Ko said with a smile on his face. "But, that's... I can't let you go. It's too dangerous." "No, I want to go with you!" "No, and I mean it. I don't care what Tamotsu says! Go home." "No!" I saw tears coming rolling down his cheek. ...This kid.

"Hey, Kazuki, let em come along," Ryota whispered to me. "I..." "I know it might be dangerous, but it would be a good idea to have a healer with us. Plus, I think he wants to prove something prove to ya." Something to prove, huh... But why to me? "Fine, you can join." "*Sniff* Really?" "But you need to stick with me when we're in there, and do what I say when I say it." He wiped the tears from his eyes and he nodded with a friendly smile.

"All then, it looks like you guys are ready for this mission. And if so, I'll be using this now." Susumu took out a key. "It's time to do this. Susumu opened the door to the tower... There was a black void. It looked pretty disparaging due to the emptiness. "Kazuki, take this." Susumu gave a clock of sorts. "What's this?" "It's a way to keep track of how much time you have to save that girl." "Thanks. Will you guys be ready in time though?" "My people will be working with the west who'll be making weapons, armor and other such things. So it depends on how fast both our sides go..." "All right then..." "Also, do you that device Arata gave you?" "Yep." "No matter what keep that thing safe; the mission hinges on it." "I know."

"Let's get going." "Kazuki-nee, here..." Ko tapped Hana's shoulder. She pulled out a neatly folded jacket. It was mine. "Sweet!" I took it from her hands and I took off the gray jacket I had on earlier. "You to like that hoodie," Susumu observantly said. "Yeah, it's a gift from some important to me."

I grabbed my things and I was walking into the void... If this place only has five floors I'll be done with it in time at all, so just you Fu-chan...

Mikage-cho, the basement of SEBEC, evening

"...So, are you all ready? Because when we enter, we can't stop for anything, got it," I state, looking back at Takeba, Iori, and Yuki. "Don't worry Shizu-chan, we won't slow ya down." "You aren't lying about them being in there, right?" "No..." "Well, I still don't trust you all too much." "I would get why." "Guys, we are wasting time here. Shizuka-san, let's go," Yuki said with the utmost confidants. "Right, let's go!" I jumped in first to show them that this isn't a trap...

The white void sucked me in. Hopefully, I only need to go into this place one last time...

* * *

All I have to say for the longtime absence is this: been working on a new project and on this at the same time, so it was me just juggling this chapter and that project. And as of now, I will have changed my user by the time this chap gets published; not a big deal, but something I like to announce. (Plus it has something to do with that project.) And now we can get some good old action into this fic now. (Not like there wasn't any before, but a lot more sounds pretty cool.) So please follow the story if you want to know when I upload, and with my fucked up schedule, that might be advised. And leave a review of the story; that helps. Without further adieu, until the next chapter; see ya...


	42. The first floor

The tower, afternoon, 2 days left

After walking through a dark void that seemed to stretch for an eternity, we finally stepped out of the void. "Is this it? This is the inside of the tower," Hisoka questioned. "I guess so... This floor looks pretty old," Ryota stated. And yeah, this place looked like it had seen some fighting in its time... I looked behind is to find that the door was still there... I tried to push it open

"It's not what I was expecting from this place," Hana said to herself. "Still, we need to be careful," I stated. "...I'll take point. Let's go!" "...Who said you were," Hisoka questioned as he had this irritated look on his face. "Then who is?" "I don't care because as far as I'm concerned I just used this expedition as an excuse to get in this place." "What's the excuse - ya needed someone to hold your hand when you're walking around in the tower," Ryota remarked. "Whatever you say, you mindless caveman... I can survive just fine on my own in here." "Then why you'd never come in here, huh," Ryota probed. "Why should I have? Would I have been paid to clear it before? And gotta ask yourself: why would anyone pay for someone else to clear this place? But it's okay if you didn't; I don't expect someone as slow as you to know why." "Why you...!" Before Ryota could say what he wanted to say, Hisoka ran off. "Wait up, you damn brat!" Ryota ran after him. "Wait, you idiots," Hana shouted. "Great, Kazuki let's go catch up to them." "Yeah, Ko - climb in my hood." After Ko did, we ran after Ryota and Hisoka...

"What in the hell?" "What is it?" When I reached the end of the tunnel I saw a bridge leading towards another corridor, but that wasn't what caught our eyes. There were a whole bunch of other stairs and platform below and above us. "Okay, where did they go?" "I don't know? They could've gone up, or maybe down..." "Where ever they go they still smell," Ko blurted out. "Smell? I can barely smell anything." "Because you're lucky to not have a too keen nose like me." "Keen nose..." Hana was rubbing her chin, and I'm pretty sure I know what's going through her head.

"Ko, can you sniff them out?" "No!" "Please?" "No, they smell like they just got out of a gutter!" "Fine...Guess I better eat this by myself then." She pulled out an energy bar from her pocket. Wait, that looks familiar. "Is that mine?" She just shrugged her shoulders at me and opened up the rapper. (When the hell she take it out of my bag?) "How does it smell, Ko?" "Good!" "Want it?" "Mhm!" "Then get that keen nose to work." "Okay, okay. But I need to eat it, the smell is throwing their scents off." Hana gave the energy bar to Ko and he ate the whole thing in mere seconds... When he was finished his nose began to twitch. "Down there." "You sure?" "Maybe?" "Not really much to work with, Ko." "Sorry, but the smell of that snack is still there." "Screw it, we don't have time for this." I activated Shadow-mog and I jumped down from the platform. "Kazuki, wait-" I began to jump off one platform to another... I heard something coming from the bottom... When I got close enough, I saw Ryota fighting something. It seemed like a girl wearing a green dress on and some Pixies. (I know because I saw Makoto use it...) I landed right in front of them, but I wasn't really expecting the floor to give out. "Whoa!" I grabbed ahold of the piece of the bridge before it was too late. "Damn, I guess I should try to control the amount of power I use when land on something... "Dude, you all right there?" "Yeah, I'm fine... Ryota, where is Hisoka?" "He went all the way up there when I was following down here." "He lured you down here?" "Yep! When I get my hands that little..." "No, you aren't gonna do jack! We'll discuss this as soon as we get him and meet up with the others." "Fine..."

The demons were looking at us as if we weren't done yet. "You two aren't going anywhere," the Pixie smirked. "It talked?" "Of course it did, they are **Demons** after all." "Demons?" I guess it makes sense because they don't look like shadows... "So, guess we're doing this, huh," I sighed. "Well, we could talk to them, but that isn't my forte." Talking? I mean, if it's an option, then why not try it. Hey, wanna talk? "To you...? Well, why not." "Great, I'm Kei Kazuki." "Kei Kazuki, what brings you to this great tower? Fame, fortune, or maybe the ultimate reward. ...Well?" "Oh, I don't care about any of that." "Huh?" "I don't want any money, (inherently) or fame..." "Then why come here? What's worth coming here for?" "I'm on a mission to save someone." "...You came here to save someone? Hm..." The Pixie seemed to have been pondering on what I meant. "Hm, a human that isn't here for money (inherently...) I'm interested in you. Tell ya what, what do you want from me; money, items, or maybe my **spell card**?" "A spell card? What's that?" "It's hard to explain, but it's something very important to me, so if I give it to you, you have to take care of it." "Um, sure, I'll take care of it." "Ya better! Here..." A card materialized, floating on the palm of the Pixie's hands. I took the card from hands. "High Pixie." "Come on guys, let's go..." The pixie and the rest of the demons left us alone...

"Wow, you did a cool job with negotiations there, Kazuki." "Um, thanks. ...You have a clue what this is?" "Nope, not at all." The power that was coming from this card wasn't great, but it felt enticing nonetheless... "Hey, hey," Ryota called to grab my attention. "What, sorry...guess I was spacing out." "Got that right. Also, how did you find me?" "Because of Ko... He also said you kind of stink." "What! ...Why that little, when I get my hands on him, I'll...!" "Hey, wait a minute!"

Before he ran off by himself I grabbed his shoulder to stop him, but when I did that he swiftly turned around to hit me. *Thump* I wasn't able to block it because I wasn't expecting to be hit by my own teammate. "Ow, what was that for!?" "Shit! Sorry, I seriously didn't mean it!" Ryota bowed his head up and down. "It's fine, I guess." He hit really hard for a normal guy. "...It was a reactionary instinct." Why is that...? But I didn't bother to ask since it was probably nothing.

"Hey, we should get going now, it would be bad if more demons came," I suggested. "Yeah, let's get going. So, are gonna carry me, or...?" "Why would I carry you?" "Well, aren't we gonna be jumping back up?" "Of course not!" We were gonna walk up a flight of stairs instead. Jumping from platform to platform wasn't really the best choice because if I have enough power to break the platforms, I knew that carrying Ryota wouldn't sound like a fun idea. (Carrying girls is easier...)

The tower, ?, afternoon

"I'm gonna ask you again: why are you in here?" "I just wanted to poke around for a bit." "Not the best response!" I had my hands on Arisato's neck. "Did I do something wrong, Masaru...?" "You're in my room!" "It seems like that..." She pointed to the wall with all of my notes on it. "What are those for?" "None of your business." "...Just curious on why you tried to hide it; if it's nothing?" "I said it's none of your business!" She had this look on her face as if she didn't really care for what I was saying...

"I'm gonna guess that you're hunting for someone. Someone not so easy to find, but looks like you're nearing your end, huh? Or maybe, you already did?" "Shut up." "How long were you working on this?" "Shut up." "I'm guessing for a long time... Also, there was this book that I found under your bed." My eyebrows jumped up when she mentioned my journal. I thought it would be safe under there! "...You also been collecting info on Kazuki, but not personal. More or less battle data, if we're going into specifics." That's basically what the book is about; Kazuki's strengths and weaknesses. I had been observing him for a while now, learning about his powers and his Persona abilities. I learned most of his habits when he does fight. However, it was a challenge because Shizuka was with him most of the time.

"Want me to tell you something that could help you if you fight him," Arisato grinned. "No." "Strange, I thought I heard you say no?" "I did, I don't want it because I'll beat him without your help..." I let go of her. "Get out and never let me see your face ever again!" "I'll try..." This chick was way different from what I have seen of her the first time. The words that left her mouth, her voice in that matter was missing something from it...

"Hey, that red in your eye... it's the darkest set of red I've ever seen." "I see...thanks for the compliment." She left the room with her hands touch her eye and her swiping her forehead. I held the book in my hands as if it was something of value. I looked at my board that had papers and pictures that were pinned up, thankfully, I didn't use too much string to connect most of the clues on there...

"I don't need your help, I can defeat him with my own power...! If I can defeat that loser, then that proves I can defeat 'him' as well." I began to read over my notes on him while taking a sip of water... It was cold before, but it's too warm, now...

The tower, first floor, afternoon

I was throwing rocks at the wall while Ko and I were waiting for Kazuki to come back with those morons. "Whatcha doing Ko?" "Making room." He was shifting around some of the items without taking them out. "Ohhh." "What is it?" I crouched right next to him. He was holding a picture in his hand. Kazuki was in it and two other girls, and one of the girls; the one with teal colored hair was kissing him on the cheek. "Where is this taken," I asked myself. "There's a bunch of lights and people," Ko added. "Yeah..." *Bang* We heard something coming from above us. "What was that!?" "I don't know!" The bridge began to rumble. **"Down you go!"** The floor began to give way. I quickly grabbed the bag but not before Ko jumped into the bag. I ran towards the stairs that were heading upwards... **"Don't think I can't kill any of you in the stairways."** The walls began to close in on us and without room to think, I used my earth magic to make two pillars from one wall to another. For the most part, it was working, however, it won't hold forever. I slide under both of them and I ran towards the end of the staircase. "*Pant* *Pant* *Pant* What the hell is going on?" **"You all are harder to kill than the usuals... In fact, where are the usuals? They stopped coming lately, did they give up on making it through here? That's no good, no good at all! I need food and I want it now!"**

Was he talking about me or the others? **"Don't let him get away!"** I heard a clang noise coming from up above. Something was falling down here... It was a black object I think? When the black object landed on this platform I was able to get a better look at it; it was Hisoka. "Where are the others," he asked. "Kazuki went to get Ryota and for you. Matter of fact: why the hell did you run off?" "I don't need to explain myself to you." "Don't give me that attitude!"

I saw demons coming from the stairs behind us; Oni' and some titania'. "Come on, we have no time for this!" Hisoka raised his sword and began to slice through the demons... I took out my knife and followed behind him. I was gonna use a knife because using earth magic here was a bad idea.

It took us a while to back to the top and when we did, Hana and Ko were gone. "Guess they went up. Maybe they got attacked as well," Ryota said. "Yeah, maybe they did, but what was that voice...?" "I don't know, but whatever it was, it was trying to kill us while we were coming up here?" "Yeah, that much is certain." "Hm...!? Kazuki, look up there!" I turned my head up to find someone floating in the air. No, standing on it, it was the hooded guy that attacked me at Yakushima. "Why, hello there, Kazuki-chan." "Ryota: go on without me." "You sure you'll be fine?" I think I'll manage" Ryota left for the stairs as I stared down the hooded guy...

"So, I heard you got beefed up, is that true?" "Yeah." "Ohh! Show me your moves then." "Gladly," I yelled. I activated Mog and I jumped for him. I tried to kick him but he dodged, however, I knew that he would; so that's why I went for a kick instead of a punch because now I'll land with my legs. And when I did I jumped for him again. "Dodge," he said when he moved out of the way again. This time, I grabbed his hoodie and I brought my knee to the back of his head. *Thump* He then tries to hit me with his hand folded. It had some of his gravity magic added to it. I dropped to below him to avoid the attack. I then grabbed his leg and I launched myself back up to his level. I tried to land many hits but he was able to dodge them. When I was about to land a blow, he used his magic to shift it back towards my cheek. *Thump* My own attack sent me flying towards a wall. *Thud* "My goodness, I can't image what would happen to me if you had made contact..." I got my arms and legs out of the wall, I then again launched myself towards him... He threw some of those Black viper orbs. I just punched them out of the way. "Kazuki, you really aren't doing it for me right now, buddy!" He used his magic to fling me to the other side of this place, making me go through a few bridges and stairways. "Down you go." As he said that, I was abruptly dragged downwards through even more platforms... *Thud* "Ahh..." The bridge I was on was the last platform before hitting nothing but an empty pit... "Come on Kazuki-chan, is this really it?" "If it ain't enough, then I'll show you something good..." I geared up an Ocean's stream and after I thought it was enough, I launched it at the hood...

boom* I heard it connect. Did it do the job...? When the smoke cleared, he was still standing there, looking down on me. "So, how much was that?" "Hm." "How much power were you packing in that? A lot, a little? Come on Kei, tell me." "I was trying to destroy you with that attack, does that count," "No, no, no, that isn't enough!" At this point, I couldn't hear this guy speaking anymore... "Hey, can't hear you anymore? Cat got your tongue?" "Why is there something wrong here? Why is that?" I wasn't gonna wait for him to get ready, I was going to make this next one count! I was ready to fire another one, but before I was able to even launch it, I was slammed down to the floor. It was like a boulder was crushing my chest and back at the same time... I couldn't move a single muscle.

The hood descended slowly and landing next to me. "Are you serious about this? This fight I mean." "Of course." "No, I don't think you are, I think you aren't." "So what? Why do you care if I am...?" I can tell he didn't like my response because the gravity intensified. "I want to know something: which one of you kidnap Fuuka?" "The Arisato girl." I gritted my teeth. I had a damn gut feeling that she did... The hood put a hand on his chin. "Wait a moment, maybe the fun isn't over; this can still be salvaged..." He lifted his gravity spell and I was able to move my body again...

"Looks like I went about this the wrong way. And if so... I gotta go!" "Wait! We aren't finished here." "We are now... And oh, you better hurry back to your team, or they might run into the big bad in this dungeon." "Big bad?" "Oh yeah, they are the scary part of this place, so I think you might want to beat them there before they reach him." "How will I know when I see them?" " **The smell of death**..."

He was heading for the staircase. "Oh, another thing, you should know: Shadow-mog is great and all, but there are some side effects." Side effects? "Like my limit?" "Sure, that, but something as well." "What is it?" "I'll tell you something even better. You wonder what was on your girl's mind as she accepted to come here of her own free will?" "Of her own free will? What's with the bullshit!?" "You're right, maybe not all too 'free', but nonetheless came here of her own will... Don't worry, I don't know why either, kind of confuses me why someone would want to be killed? It just eludes me, ya know?"

" "What do you mean by that...?" He let out a long sigh as if the question was bothersome to answer. "Put on a good performance for me when you fight the **guardian** of this floor, then maybe we can why."

He was telling me to put on a show for him... "Screw you, I'm not here to entertain you!" "I know, I know; the damsel in distress. gotta save her... That's a boring old plotline." He walked up the stairs, however, his voice was echoing through the tunnel. "I went easy on you, but the guardian might not...?"

A minute of trying to get back up was a major pain because the last gravity attack was an ungodly force. I got up only collapsed to the floor... *Thud* "Ahhh!" I was pretty sure I had some broken bones, so if I got into a fight it wouldn't end well. But I can't just let this stop me from saving her, broken bones or not. "Skeith." I had my Persona lift me up on my feet only for it to dematerialize. "Gaahh!" I fell to the floor again and this time, I'm pretty sure I heard cracks from the platform I'm on...

"Gotta...get...up!" I tried to lift myself up, but I was too weak to... "Dormia..." I felt a sudden fatigue fall over me... I turned my body around away from the floor. I saw someone standing over me... "Who *yawn* are you...?" If the mystery man said something I didn't hear it because I was too tired to be able to pay any attention... My eyelids were closed shut, and I was seconds away from going to sleep...

Ko, Hisoka and I had made it through the hoards of demons that awaited us as we ascended to the top. Ryota and Kazuki hadn't shown up yet. Guess the both of them couldn't make it... I knew this was a stupid idea coming in here; an idea for men who have a death wish...

"Keep up! We are almost through," Hisoka notified me as the horde of demons began to grow thin. As Hisoka cleaved through the last of them and were able to run up the rest of the way now. "Is that a door over there," I pointed towards the far right from where we're at... There was another set of stairs that was leading towards our right. "What a pain!" "But if we stay here we'll get eaten alive," Ko stated. "You act like that includes me," Hisoka replied. "Yes, it does!" "Whatever you say, child." Great, just what we need for our situation. I closed the bag to silence Ko and to break up the fight.

"Come on, we can't waste time here. Let's just keep moving." "Then move it, woman." The attitude with this kid... We ran down a set of stairs and many other pathways for our destination, and needless to say, that voice and the dungeon itself tried to kill us on our way there...

"Hisoka, I have a question for you." "What is it?" "Why were you falling from the top earlier?" "...I got into a fight with this demon. It was fairly strong, but that might be inappropriate to say?" "Why?" Hisoka paused for a moment and at that moment I felt the air go dry. "The air! It's here!" Something was causing the air to be as dry as it is. "That odor... It reeks of death," Ko quivered and knew he was due to him shacking the bag.

"Don't waste time here, run!" Hisoka made a break for it. I began to follow behind him until the floor below me opened up. "Khhhya!" I fell through the floor before I could react in time. I was sure that this was the end for me until... "Gotcha you!" Someone grabbed a hold of my arm. "Huh?" "Sorry, I'm late, I had a hard time finding where you guys went." It was Ryota! **"Damn, I thought I had that one. And where in the hell is that other brat!?"** The voice echoed through the dungeon... "What are you doing? Pull yourself up! You're...kind of heavy!" I'm what!? "I'm not heavy, jerk!" At least I try not to be; maybe Susu wasn't just teasing me... With our combined efforts I was able to get myself back onto the platform. "That was too close for comfort," I sighed in relief. "No kidding... It was a great thing that I came when I did." "*Muffled voice*" "What was that," Ryota asked as he looked at Kazuki's bag. I opened it up. "I said: why didn't you let us know you were close by?" "Hu-what?" "You were close by us, so the fact you didn't catch up with us is kind of weird." "H-how do you know!?" "Your smell was closer than I like it to be." "So what? It just means I ain't that fast, all right?" "I think you came in and save us at the last second on purpose... You really are a jerk." "Shut you, ya idiot! Like I said, I was just a bit slow!" "Liar." Ugh, can you two stop it already!"

Ryota and Ko were still arguing even after I tried to break it up. "Can you hurry up! The demon is getting closer," Hisoka shouted. "Why don't you run away then, if you're scared?" "At least I'll still be alive." "Oh yeah, well I'd rather die a warrior than a coward!" "I guess you'd also don't mind dying a fool." The two of them kept arguing back and forth. And while they did so, I just ran past Hisoka without disturbing the both of them... I wonder what will kill me in this tower: the enemies, or my own allies?

Ruined Mikage-Cho, southside, afternoon

I was in a store in the south territory of this world (Bandit territory.) A shop that harbors rare, and hard to come by items...

"What can I get ya?" "I require a few things from this place." "Name it." I looked down at the pen and paper on the counter. I began to write down the items I wanted. They mostly consisted of rare items and weapons for myself and my apparent "team." Before I had left Port island, I had to risk going back to the dorm to get some things. However, since Takeba, Iori and Yuk were already there and Takeba was threating to call the police on me if I didn't bring them with me. And if the cops knew I wasn't outside the city yet, they would've blocked off the exits to the city, so I had no choice but to bring them...

"That mask...where did you get it from?" I knew someone was going to ask, but it was only the matter of when they were. "Scavaged it." "Is that right? It's just that it's a very rare commodity. So maybe I can it off your hands, or maybe to be more accurate: off your hip." As he tried to take my mask away, I took out my sword and I put it to his neck. "Stop screwing around and get me what I want, or else I will start putting my sword through your hands," I said in a cold, yet violent tone. "O-okay, okay!" After I was done writing I handed paper over to the clerk. "Here you are," I said in a more calmer voice "I, um, have most of these items except for the last one - Amrita stone." I had a feeling that he didn't, but I had to check...

"Well, ring it up, and don't mess with me, or else this fine establishment might have a fire, and it won't be a sale." "Yes, ma'ma!"

I exited the store with the items in a big bag. "What took so long?" I was greeted by Takeba's tone. She's been like this ever since she's been told of my old affiliation, and to be honest: I could care less what her attitude is towards me. (But I understand why she is throwing scorn at me.) "Whaddya buy," Iori asked as he stared at the bag. "Weapons, items, and other things..." Yuki was listening to his music as he looked at the tower. He was held captive in there for a long time; having to endure the gauntlet of challenges that it holds. I think I can sort of relate... "Yuki, if you aren't feeling up to it I can find somewhere for you to stay until we rescue Yamagishi." "No, it's fine. I guess I was just staring into space." I think he's trying to hide his fear of that place, but if he wants to come along, I won't impose...

"So, Shizuka-san, why are you helping Kazuki?" The question itself was one I had an answer to... Or at least I thought I did. "I don't know?" "You sure?" "Yes..."

I had this question in my head for a while now... I found myself gazing at the tower myself now. Now that I can get a good look at the tower, I was feeling a strong resentment towards this place; to that tower... But a memorable fear. Something that I remembered quite recently...

9/2 Sa, Iwatodai dormitory, early in the morning

It was a day after we escape the froze-over school. But even before we got out, I had this terrible feeling pop up after the Hypnos tower was cleared... On that night I couldn't sleep, so I found myself in the lounge, watching tv. I felt as if the light emanating from the screen was the comfort I felt all throughout the night, and it wasn't like I was afraid of the dark, but I didn't want to be left in it this time (Guess I am now...)

"M.G." "Hm?" Kazuki was standing at the kitchen table. "What are you watching?" "I honestly have no clue." I wasn't really paying attention to what was on the tv, all I needed was some light. "Oh... Mind if I join you? I kind of can't get any shut-eye." "Seems we're facing the same situation, and sure." I moved over to make room for him...

"Today was crazy," Kazuki stated "It was... Are you okay?" "Yeah, but I think my back is kind of sore." "Ah..." The lobby had an awkward silence permeating throughout the room. Truth be told: I wasn't really good at making small talk; talking isn't really my strong suit. (That's why I avoided my own classmates most of the time.) "...Shizuka, you should tell me more about yourself. You never told me about yourself despite us knowing each other for a couple months now." "I guess you bring up a point. However I-" "When's your birthday?" "Huh?" "What is your favorite food?" "Wait, hold on!" "Favorite movie?" "I don't really have one." "Favorite book then." "I would think the journey to the west." "Hm, is it interesting?" "Well, I guess, but..."

Kazuki kept asking me questions during that night. I thought he was being a bit annoying, but it wasn't too bothersome for me to say anything about it... "Okay, where did you live before the any of this, before the Dark Hour I mean." I looked at my feet, wondering if I should just dodge the question. "I don't want to share anything." "Oh, well okay then..." I think I was a bit too cold with my response.

"...What should I do," Kazuki suddenly asked me. "About what?" "About Minako." "What about her? She chose her fate that night." "I thought that at first, but even though we got Mako-chan back we're still at odds with each other." "Well, there is nothing you can do about it, now." "Maybe..." He didn't feel sadness towards her, but pity... As I recalled Arisato, I recalled all the other things the two of us only know about.

"Yamagishi still doesn't know about Shadow-mog?" "No, and I think that it's for the better." I had no idea why he didn't want to tell her, but if it was his decision I wouldn't nag on him for it. However...

"...Hiding it won't do you much good. Yamagishi is intelligent, eventually, she'll start to notice something is off, she'll want answers. So, you better be ready for that..." "Don't worry, the Dark Hour is almost over, this game is almost over. So, I won't need to tell her about that." It was a dangerous road he was walking, but it was the road he chose; the road of hardship that I sent him on...

Light stretched throughout the lounge from the windows. It was morning... "What time is it?" "Six in the morning?" "So we've been down here for an hour?" "Seems like it..." Kazuki sat up and went over to the tv and shut it off. "You better get some rest now, Shizuka." "Yeah." I stretched my arms when I stood up...

"Hey, Shizu." "Shizu?" "Yeah, I just came up with it. I thought you were tired of me calling you M.G." "I wasn't really, but a fresh new name wouldn't hurt. ...But you were gonna tell me something?" "Nah, forget it. I just wanted to say your new found name!" "Okay then..." "Hm?" "What is it, Kazuki?" What's with the 'okay then'?" "Nothing." "Lies! You said it as if I was about to tell you something shady!" "I never said such a thing." "Maybe so, but that tone doesn't lie." "How are you sure?" "Because I also know what you'll say next, too." I heard he said something like that before, but I thought he was speaking nonsense. "Humor me." "You're going to say: I have no idea what you are talking about, you fool!" That nonsense... "I was thinking if I should tell you that Aigis was watching us." ...Was complete nonsense. "Huh!?" When we stared back at her.

"I have been spotted. A tactical retreat is in order." She had run off. "*Sigh* What an I gonna do about her too. I mean, she had shot me! (More or less my Persona, but still.)" "She's dangerous, we should watch our backs for her." "Yeah... Now, let's get back to the matter at hand." "That would be?" "What that 'okay then' meant." "God, you're still on that?" "I won't give up!" "Fine then, let's settle it!" "Let's!"

The conversation, or rather argument went on for a while, and oddly enough; I quite enjoyed it. That one conversation was able to help me forget about my worries. It even made me feel more comfortable... I think that was when I truly began to feel something, something that wasn't just a mentor and student relationship; maybe a sort of bond...?

The depths of Kazuki's soul,?

When I had opened my eyes, buildings were the immediate thing that caught my eye and gave me a hint on where I was at.

"Master, are you awake, now?" I got up from the floor. "Yeah, I'm up. I had this wicked dream where I was a crab and I..." Hey, I saw this get-up before. He snapped me out of Morpheus' dream. "You're that guy that I met in a dream." "Yes, I'm glad you remember who I am." "Well, how could I forget a guy as mysterious looking as you." "Am I?" "Well, of course. I can barely see your face, man..."

He looked up towards the sky. "...The water?" "The water?" I looked around and I saw nothing different than how I remember it..."Anyway, you've been badly hurt by that fellow from earlier." "Yeah, wouldn't call him a fellow." "However, you're wounded seemed to have been healed a bit." "How can you tell?" "I... Hm, I guess you can say that I just can." "Totally not vague at all, dude."

I felt this numbness in my legs all of a sudden. My legs gave out instantly. "*Gasp* Master!" "I feel...weak." "It might be due to someone trying to wake you, forcefully waking you!" The stranger kneeled down to my level. "Master, I will only say this once: do not keep using Shadow-mogrification." Again with Shadow-mog. "Why?" "Because of the side effect, it entails." "What are they," I struggled to ask. "It will take ahold of you and it will never let you go." "What does that even mean?' "Just don't use it anymore!"

After that warning, the mystery man put his index and middle finger to my head and I began to float up to surface. "Master, I forgot one more thing, I am Phi... It was an honor to speak to you." Phi bowed his head.

"I hope to continue to serve you in the future..."

The tower, Floor: unknown, ?, 2 days left

I stood in front of the mural that the Nyar kept in his chambers. It was truly a piece of art that no human can match...

"Do you like this piece?" "It's marvelous, I just wish I could've witnessed it when it was made." "...Don't worry, you'll get to see something like it in the future. Just have patience." "Ugh, patience sounds great, but it's a real pain when you try to have some..." He chuckled in response to that. "I know what you mean, I had to wait for many years as well." "Oh yeah, how long was that?" "Thirteen years now." "That long? That's a joke amount of years." "Well, I can't say I was bored, plus, I was making preparations for ten years, now. So, can't say I was too bored." "Ten years gathering your people, making plans, and scooping out your competition..." "Yep, and now it's time to destroy the competition." "Oh my, do tell...? Kazuki, the Velvet residence, or maybe his team?" "You can take a guess, and besides, isn't being left out of the surprise." "Oh, that does sound a bit fun!" 'But let's just say I'll be destroying the greatest threat in our fight." "Ah, but I gotta ask: why Yamagishi and not Kazuki?" "For some good old fashion fun. But if it wasn't for Shizuka going rouge, we wouldn't have this option... And besides, she was really just the bait for the big fish." "I see, smart move, smart move..."

Nyarlathotep put his hand mural... He was in a deep trace while looking at it. "Listen, boss, I want to make an arrangement with who'll be the guardians for each floor?" "Why for?" "I need to do an experiment." "...Go for it then. Just make sure the guardians aren't easy to kill." "I won't, sir," I said with a childish type of tone. "Can I use that Arisato girl?" "No, she's mine to use as I please." "Ah, nobody gets to play with your favorite toys." "Although, I will let you use one of my new favorite toys." "...And that would be?" "Masaru."

Didn't he lose to Kazuki? Maybe Nyar fixed him...?

"So, do we have anything else to talk about, M?" "No, I say this convo is about covered." "Good." I walked out of Nyar's chamber feeling good since I got what I wanted and more... I took out a journal that had the kids that used to be apart of this group. It's a pretty hefty book, so I better take my time with it... "My, my, so many children but none to be seen. I wonder where they all went? Woo, I feel all giddy about this now just thinking about the many types of fun that we can have!"

 **First off, I know I was gone for nearly a whole month, I had a problem concerning my eyes that wouldn't allow me to be able to look at my computer screen, thus making the case that I couldn't type down the chapter. (Although, I did begin it before my eye problem.) So I had to take some time off to have them not be so dry. So really, nothing new in this world so maybe-**

 **Hm...? What's that? Oh, I see. All right, so I just got word that PQ2 is finally existing! Can you believe it bois and grills. Okay, on a serious note: I do have some fears for that game since I realized the faults in Q1, like character Flanderization, SP and HP skill cost. I would go on but now is not the time. (Also the amount of characters in that game terrifies me...) So overall, not dead yet, just very much KO'ed, and if anything else doesn't happen, I'd say we're back. (again) So, if you are enjoying this story follow the story so you know when I update a new chapter, and leaving a review always helps. And until the next chap; see ya...** **(Also, I had multipil crashes that woydl basucally reset my work while I was typing the chapter, and that was a major pain in the ass, but hey, should've saved before hand.)**

 **A diabolical team of the ages**

 **Kazuki: Hold still Koro, this'll only take a second.**

 **Koro: *Whimper***

 **Kazuki: Hold on... Just stay right there. Perfect, now... WAHAHAHAHAHA! Yes, Koromaru, this is the beginning of a truly wondrous and awesomely diabolical team. Truly one worthy of all the great things of this world. However, we aren't interested in wealth or fame... No, we are fighting a battle against an unknown threat of immeasurable power, but fear not - we alone have the power to disrupt their plans. What is their plan? You fool! I have told you many times before, but fine, I shall tell you what I mean. ...The organization plans on manipulating the masses, using them to advance their organization into the public eye and grow even larger with more members and loyal followers. So, before they can succeed, we need to destroy this organization with our powers, then, we shall complete our ultimate goal: throwing this country into chaos! Our ultimate goal as SEES!**

 **Koromaru: *Bark***

 **Kazuki: WAHAHAHAHAHA**

 **Aigis: I heard everything.**

 **Kazuki: ...AHAH- Huh?**

 ***Door to the dorm opens***

 **Yukari: We're back... What the?**

 **Fuuka: Um, Kazuki-kun, what are you doing with Koro-chan?**

 **Aigis: He said that he was going to throw the world into chaos**

 **Kazuki: You goddamn liar!**

 **Koromaru: *Bark***

 **Aigis: Koromaru says that threat suddenly made him get on his shoulder and then he suddenly started laughing...**

 **Yukari: ...**

 **Fuuka: ...**

 **Kazuki: (Damn you, Aigis! I shall get you back for this somehow. But for now, I need to get out of here...) Koro - tactic alpha, now!**

 **Koromaru jumped off Kazuki's shoulder and barks at Aigis**

 **Aigis: He says look over there.**

 **Yukari: Huh?**

 **Fuuka: At Shizuka? Wait, I did even notice she was right there!**

 **Shizuka: I was sitting right here this entire time, how did none of you notice? (Not that I care.)**

 **Fuuka: Sorry, Shizuka-chan... Sometimes it's almost like you turn invisible.**

 **Shizuka: Maybe so... Hey Aigis, Kazuki just snuck passed you.**

 **Aigis: Hm? He has fled, but I won't let him get away!**

 **Yukari: Aigis, hold on a second**

 **Fuuka: Wait up for me, too!**

 **Koromaru walked over to Shizuka after the others had left.**

 **Koromaru: *Woof***

 **Shizuka: All according to plan. Good boy...**

 **Koromaru: *Woof***


	43. The stories of the past

10/6 Tues, Ruined Mikage-cho, The tower, Afternoon

We were right outside the tower with nothing more than the utmost confidants we can muster, however, I know that won't be enough to last in this tower. I felt the air get heavier as if the tower was emitting that on purpose...

"Are you kids sightseeing?" I turned to my left to find someone with a camera, looking at us through his viewfinder. I didn't even sense him coming, or the fact that he was here at all.

"I asked if you're sightseeing? If you are, then you chose the wrong the wrong place." "We didn't come for any sightseeing," I firmly stated. "Ouch, ya know, too much seriousness hurts, kid." "Dude, same," Iori added.

"So why come to a boring and dull place, like this tower," The cameraman asked. "Easy: we're gonna go into the tower and kick all kinds of serious ass," Iori exclaimed "Hopefully our asses won't get kicked," Takeba laminated.

"I see, then you might be a bit too late due to the fact that the infiltration team has already been sent in there." "Infiltration...team?" "You don't know? "Sorry, we, um... Sort of like cave people." Takeba hit Iori in his sides after his dumb excuse.

"Well, we sent in a small team, and four out of five is the best that each territory has to offer." "...And by any chance, was there a boy with a black and red hoodie, his hair is unkempt, so it makes it look messy," Takeba described Kazuki. "Ah, that does sound like that Kazuki kid." "Yep, that's our dude," Iori snickered. "But can you tell us how he was able to get in the tower," I asked. "I guess I can spare you a moment of my time..."

The cameraman who soon introduced himself as Arata told us about the small team inside of the Tower and the whole operation centering around that one team...

"Okay, I get the idea - however, I want to know how do you know you even need an army to raid the place," Yuki questioned. "...Through leaks about the place. They came out about two years ago, and ever since then, we used the information to get through the dungeon. However, that alone wasn't enough since the tower wasn't cleared yet, so that leaves me to have some doubts about those leaks. But, we at least made things that would be needed for the last floor - the top of the tower..."

"Okay, but why do you allow randoms fighters to go in there? I mean, maybe they would compromise your whole plan," I asked. I knew how the whole clearing the tower thing works. The ones who clear the tower earns a reward, so it can also mean that one of the members in that team could betray Kazuki - if not, all of them! In that case, I... No, even if they tried, I know Kazuki would come out on top; especially with an important task at hand.

"There is the reward for the one who clears it, so maybe one of them, or maybe all of them are thinking of pulling something while they are in there." "Then why..." "Where there could be bad there are good intentions. There are some that just want to find something in there; like loved ones, for example..." That's a great risk to take, considering that their loved ones might be dead...

"I know it sounds insane, but wouldn't you do something as insane for the people you care for?" "..." I can't really say, nor would I ever... "Do we have to answer that question," Iori asked as he adjusted his hat and pointed his broadsword towards the tower. "No matter how insane the task is, the hero always answers the call to save the day, and to save the damsel in distress!" "Wouldn't that be Kazuki since he is the first one out of all of us to get here?" "Um, I meant me." "Oh, no, I know, but I felt like I should correct you..." And the banter started up again. And we aren't exactly heroes, and that definitely goes for me...

"So anyway, what's going to happen now?" "We're going inside the tower." "I already that, but do you have a key for the door?" "It just so happens that I have one." I presented it to him... "That's excellent." Arata clapped his hands...

"Wait, before you guys enter the tower, can I get a picture," Arata requested, wear a friendly smile on his face. "Maybe one picture would be okay, Shizuka," Yuki asked me as if my decision matter on this one. "Let's just hurry up." "Great, then I'll try to take it as fast as I can."

We all clumped together for the photographer. Takeba shifted away from me when she realized she was standing next to me. Iori was posing like he was a baseball player; we back away from him where his sword because he was holding his sword like it was a bat...

"Shizuka, right? I actually want you to be in the front, and as for the cap wearing kid: can you not wave your sword like a child - you can hurt someone." "Oh, um, sorry..." I went in the front and Iori went in the back with his sword lowered. After Arata took the photo after a while of adjusting his camera... "There we are. I guess you guys better be on your way into the dungeon," Arata said.

"Mr. Arata, why do you take pictures in a world like this when everything is a mess," Takeba asked. "True, there is nothing beautiful to take a picture of, heck, I'd say the that's the greatest downside about this world. However, you don't only need landscapes to take good pictures," Arata fiddled with his camera... "What is it," Takeba tilted her head. "...To find something beautiful within this world that, something that makes all my senses tingle with excitement."

"Guys, I think it's time we get a move on." Iori waved to us. He's right, we wasted enough time here, we need to get in there.

"We're going now," I told Arata. "I see. Well, I hope you all have a safe travel in the tower..." "Thank you," I bowed as he waved his hand at me...

"Excuse me, but can I ask you something," Yuki asked Arata. "I just remembered, somebody told me to find someone who was wearing a camera around their neck... That would be you." "Alright, what is it," Arata asked as he leaned on the tower. "There was this man that helped me while I was in the tower..." "You were in there!?" Arata jumped from his position on the wall. "That's impossible! Then that would mean you got through the tower!" "Not exactly. I only barely made it up two floors in there." "Really... Well then, I think our luck has finally turned around, with this operation after all this time," Arata chuckled.

"Also, who was this guy and why did you mention him to me?" "Well... This man would talk about his son and his best friend, and the friend would wear a camera around their neck all the time.

I saw Arata's eyebrows raise up as if he knew who Yuki was talking about. "Hold on a moment, did this guy have a scar on his left cheek," Arata inquired. "Yes..." "*Chuckle* I knew it, that man was still alive, I just knew it!"

Arata seemed excited upon his new discovery. He came over to us with a more serious presence than before.

"I need a favor from the both of you." "What is it?" "Can you guys find him in there and get him out of there?" He bowed to us with a with his fedora in his hands. "...I don-" "Of course we'll help him," Yuki interrupted me. "I want to help him for saving me and I'm praying that he's okay... I know how challenging it can be," Yuki said with a melodically tone. "Thank you, and don't think I won't reward you; I'll give you anything I can get my hands on." "That's not necessary, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to gain a reward."

Why are we still here? We need to get going. "...Listen, we need to get going, now," I said with lack of patience. I began to walk towards the tower entrance. Yuki bowed at Arata one last time before catching up to me.

"We wasted enough time here as it is." "I know and I'm sorry, but I just needed to see if he knew that man." "And speaking of that, why did you say we would bring him back alive? For all we know, he might not even be alive..." I raised the possibility. "I know, and you're probably right for the most part, but I couldn't deny his request," Yuki said with a bothersome expression on his face. "So you took the request because you can't say no?" "That, and because I was going to look for this person anyway... Plus, he might be able to help us." "How so," I asked... "Let ne tell you why

?, The tower. FL:?

I was fighting in a desert-like area against a skeleton demon that was riding a red horse that was floating in the air. I was lucky enough to have Personas that were able to block most of its attacks...

 **"Come out and face me!"**

Hiding was the only thing I could do since none of my attacks seemed to have worked. At first, it was hard to fight the monsters inside the place without risking my own self and most of the Personas I had were weak due to me not being able to fuse; only by grasping Persona after a battle, but after a while, my Personas had gotten strong enough to keep me alive; but this demon, it was stronger than any of the demons I had faced.

I had summoned Orpheus to hit the Red rider with its lyre on fire. *Clang* The demon blocked with its sword. After a moment of interlocking weapons, Red rider pushed my Persona away and sliced it in half. "ARGHH!" I felt a hot sensation spread across my chest as I grasped my chest. The rider had it horse gallop towards me, it had found me

because I grunted in pain. It had thrust its sword forward, I had put my Evoker to my head.

"Jikokuten!" *bang* The Guardian deity had stopped the Riders attack with its sword. **"Blade of fury!"** But the demon had destroyed my Persona in mere seconds, but since Jikokuten had a slash resistance, the damage was cut in half. I tried to gain some distance...

 **"Wind cutter!" I** ts attack sent out a wind attack that might have been as sharp as his own blade. I then again put my Evoker to my head to summon another Persona.

"Kusi Mitama!" My Persona was able to block the whole attack entirely, but the impact still hitting me even when I was behind Mitama, I was sent flying a few feet. *Thud* "Ugh!" I had landed on my back with nothing more than a few bruises...

 **"Your quick thinking has allowed you to live this far, however, all things do come to a close; and that time is now..."**

The demon raised its sword to the air to where it had aligned with the sun. **"Fatal End."**

I had pointed and pulled the trigger of my Evoker faster than I had ever done before. Then, as he swung his sword down to my body, in those split seconds, I was able to switch to another Persona, and that Persona would be my only hope for that situation. A shield covered my back.

 **"What is this?"** Its question was followed up by the Red rider being hit with an invisible force, that force was half of its own attack...

"That power... It wasn't as much, but you reflected my own attack on me!" "Yeah, and I'm glad that it came through for me. It's a skill called counterstrike: it allows me to counter a physical attack, however, it won't always happen since this skill relies on a bit of luck..."

I quickly summoned the Persona that saved me: Nata Taishi. I had him do Swift strike on the rider. He had landed multiple hits on the rider and his horse and as a result, was knocked down. **"Good show, now let me return the favor."**

He reeled back his arm, not wanting to wait to see what he was gonna do next, I switched Nata Taishi for Orthrus. "Orthrus: stop his attack," I commanded. With fire coming from its mouth, Orthrus bit down on Red Rider's arm. **"Release my arm, you feral beast!"** Orthrus wasn't letting up even when Rider was hitting it with its hand. After a while, Orthrus ripped the demon's arm off. I had dismissed Orthrus... **"...That was good, really good... This is it! I feel it; a war brewing! "** "Is that so...?"

It had grabbed its sword with its other hand, holding it upwards in a symbolic way of declaring war upon me...

 **"Myriad arrows!"** Arrows began to come from out of nowhere. I had switched to the next Persona. "Okuninushi: Maragion!" *Bang*

When he shot the fire spell, it had hit most of the arrows. However, some of them were still heading my way. I was able to dodge the rest. "Go now!" I had Okuninushi spear right at the rider, just for him to change directions - heading off for the sun. And as that was happening, I ran towards and then past the rider. **"What is this foolishness?"**

The rider had taken the bait by just following me... It wasn't much longer until my Persona and I was at the Perfect position...

"Done." **"Done doing what?"** "Done with this fight. NOW!"

I snapped my fingers to give my next order. Okuninushi radiated as much fire as it can produce, luckily, it was able to radiate enough to be as bright as the sun... It was bright enough to make the light coming from it blinding to the Rider. "Now, finish this Okuninushi!" It began to descend at an alarming rate. And before Rider could react, my Persona had already stuck its sword in it. **"*Gasping*"** The rider was gasping as he was feeling. "Set it ablaze..." Okuninushi had done just that. The Rider made no sound as it was being burned alive. I began to walk away from it...

 **"This fight has not been concluded yet!"** I was too shocked to turn around. It was still alive after all the damage I'd served it. **"Now, allow me to return the favor, ten-fold.** It lifted its sword, the fire was going into its sword. It was going to shoot with its sword... It would've been bad if he hit me with that attack. Okuninushi had a resistance to fire but it might have not been strong enough to survive his attack. I tried to run but something pressed down on my back: it was the horse... It was a terrible situation no matter how you look at it...

Thump* "ARGGHH! Magic mirror!" I wasn't able to register what was going on, the riders attack was reflected back at it by a newcomer. *Boom* After the explosion and when the dust cleared, the demon burned into dust that began to sink into the sand...

"So, it's finally dead. Good!" The had grunted in pain from his burns but tried not to show it...

"Are you okay," I asked. "Yeah, I'll be good. it's you I'm worried about a child such as yourself. Going up against a monster such as that thing is no easy feat and your injuries show that. You are a true warrior!" He bumped his fist. "Well, I can heal the small wounds, but I do think the bigger ones are an issue." I had a Persona that was focused on healing but it wasn't strong enough to heal bigger wounds than cuts or burns. And after all that fighting, my legs began to buckle under me.

"Not feeling so hot, huh," the man uttered. "Not a problem! Would you like to come back with me? I have food that'll heal our wounds and our fighting spirit!" "That sounds great..." I accepted his offer as he gave me his shoulder. "Are okay to walk yourself," I remarked, feeling his legs shaking. "I'll be fine, I'm used to furious battle like this, so my body is like an iron cage." "That's the wrong metaphor, but okay."

He dragged us through the desert...

"Boy, what is your name? I want to know who defeated the Red Rider." "Makoto Yuki, you?" " **Yoshinori**. And I think we should celebrate your victory with a feast." I was truly happy to hear those word. (For the fact that I was tired of eating these nasty rations I had with me...)

10/6 Tues, The tower, FL:?

I was reading through the journal I "borrowed" from Nyar, and oh, did it have many interesting things in it.

"I read many things, but this must be in the top 10..."

The contents of this talked about many things; a great amount of detail on Mikage-cho when the DEVA machine went haywire... _"The event was a bizarre event indeed, nobody was able to make a coherent story about the incident other than monsters killing people and there being an invisible wall blocking off one half of the city. But, with nothing else to go on, SEBEC tried to sweep the incident under the rug but meet with failure, so after, the company was charged with illegal experimentation... Rumors soon started circulating about demons still being present. Apparently, the mayor hired an exorcist to see if there were any more of them; the Exorcist was in town during the incident, seen disposing of the demons like it was second nature; a wave of his hand is all it took to kill off hoards... (Might need to look into him myself later on.) In no time at all, the exorcist found a monstrous presence, it came from a 3-year-old child..."_

"Hmm, I would dare say that child could be Kazuki." I flipped the page to continue. _"...The boy's mother was found dead, in their house, the father was nowhere to be found, it was like he dropped off the face of the Earth. Not much was known about the exorcist either, as he disappeared before an interview was conducted. However, some can say he was a male, probably in his late twenties. After that, the child was ridiculed by the people of Mikage-cho, all because of an exorcist told them the child had an evil presence; although the man wasn't a fraud, he was one of them. He could've been a problem but he helped me instead..."_

Hmm, I feel like I know what he's talking about but I just drew blanks... After a while of flipping through the book, I found something else that piqued me my interest. "Rin Shizuka, what can we learn about you today...?"

"Well, I'll be damned." I closed the book and hid it in my drawer. I was thinking about walking around before anything worth a thought happened... As I was walking, I saw a familiar face. "Minako, why the long face," I joked. "..." "Okay, tough crowd... Anyway, have you seen your old buddy, Kazuki-chan," I asked her. No response... "Man, you're pretty boring." I saw her move her mouth but she was muttering. "What was that? I couldn't hear you, speak louder." "I said I don't care," she clenched her fist. "Is that a fact, then what do you care about then, huh," I probed to find something interesting about this person... I mean, I know about her and- Wait, I got it.

"...That Makoto Yuki kid is something extraordinary," I stated and Mino-chan definitely heard me. "Personas are pretty cool, but controlling more than one is just cooler! Too bad it's wasted on him." She began to face me when I said that. "Yep, I just don't see the poor guy cutting it, he's been through a lot, so god knows if he can handle using different ones, unlike you; You can even use them without Evokers, right? And what, he still needs a puny plastic gun to make his come out?" Mino-chan clenched her fist even tighter, the color in her eye was beginning to come back. "Well, I guess I can write him off as wasted potential, huh? ...I might as well kill him myself, wouldn't be too hard..."

I'd wouldn't bother with something as simple as that and besides, Nyar told the other members that Yuki wasn't fair game the moment he was thrown in the tower. It does strike me as curious why Nyar let him go.

"Well, this was eventful. I gotta run, bye bye..."

As I walked past her, she grabbed my arm. "What is it, I'm..." She had a card floating in the palm of her hand... "Is that a-" "Orpheus!" *Crush*

The tower, FL:?, Fuuka's prison cell, afternoon

My second day being here was just as isolating as yesterday, if not, even more. I know that Kazuki is here, but that's a problem... I been trying to strengthen my abilities past only this floor. I'm able to look past this door now and throughout the whole complex. (Minus some places.) Although due to the mental strain, I was left mentally drained... I was left to think about many things during that period of time, like how everyone else was doing; I hoped that they all weren't worried about me. I wonder how Natsuki is doing? Hopefully, she's not worried that I'm not at school, she can really overreact to small stuff. Small, insignificant stuff...

I wondered how my parents were doing? I haven't seen them ever since I moved into the dorm. I guess it was obvious from the start that I didn't really have a great relationship with them and to be honest: I wish I did, but I know now that'll be impossible...

"I'm sure everyone in SEES will be fine without me, I just hope they're able to fight the last shadow without me. And Natsuki-chan is more sociable than I am, so she shouldn't have a problem replacing me. ...My parents." I don't know how they'll react, but maybe they won't even notice. "Shizuka-san is probably already coming to get Kazuki out of here as we speak, so that's a relief. Plus, I'm sure she'll take care of him when I'm gone..."

Drip* "*Sniff*" I felt tears rolling off my cheek as I was laying on the cold floor. The isolation alone was enough to make anyone cry. I wanted to act- no, be strong, but I just can't do it. Because in just two days I'll be dead, and he'll be...

"Calm down, just calm down!" I began to rub my eyes as I got up from the floor.

"I need to stay calm. I know why I'm doing this, why I'm here, so I just need to relax my nerves and stay calm..."

Kazuki is strong, Shizuka-san is strong; all I ever wanted was to be just as strong as those two. I wanted to be as strong as those two... I felt this spark up many times, the most notable time was when Kazuki got possed for the first time. It was pretty scary, but when he was fighting it off and the aftermath of it, I was genuinely felt pathetic with. And whenever he fights, I get scared, scared of losing him... But he always presents himself with an unflinching aura. But he would always get hurt because of me; to protect me... So, when I realized that, I knew I need to get stronger to protect everyone better with my abilities, and when I learned my defensive skill I was actually proud because then, I knew if I could learn that then I could learn more. But most importantly: to be strong, like the two of them... But, I don't think I'll ever be like those two, no matter how hard I try.

"I never knew how hard it was, trying to be strong. Guess that shows how weak I am..."

*Boom* I saw dust falling from the ceiling. I heard an explosion coming above as well. "What was that," I had asked myself. I heard noise coming from outside...

*Boom* "Ahh!" The wall in front of me was blown open by something... When I the dust cleared up a bit I looked out the hole in the wall. "*Gasp*" I realized, with the wall destroyed, I can sense beyond this cell and complex. "This could be my only chance! Lucia!" I quickly scanned for the outside, there was a sort of courtyard directly outside of the hole. (I could most likely see it if I looked out the hole myself.) In the courtyard, I sense the presence of two individuals; one was Minako, the other seemed to be that hooded man from Yakushima...

"What's happening?"

"Wow, that was pretty cool, but too bad I don't want to fight and see more out of you," I stated with my hand extended out, using my gravity magic to keep her from moving, it wasn't easy because I had to stop two targets at once: Minako and her Persona. I wanted to get a rise out of her, but I didn't plan on fighting...

"Change." Before she could crush the card in her hand, I made her hand heavier, she won't be able to crush it now. "*Grunting*" She was struggling to lift her fingers from the floor, and I was struggling to even handle weighting down her hand, her feet, and her Persona. If this keeps up I'll have a problem on my hands...

Suddenly, my arms were dragged down to the ground. *Thud* "...Was wondering what took so long." I looked over to the execution stage, to find someone walking over to us. I couldn't make out a lot from this newcomer because he was wearing a gray cloak with its hood up, it was covering most of his body. Although, he did have a rather large build from what I can tell. It wasn't Nyar, that's for certain...

"Where's the boss-man? Too busy for us," I joked. "What is going on here," he asked me. "Glad you asked, me and this young lady her just suddenly decided to attack me. Rude, right?" "I do not care for who started a fight, comrades should not fight, especially on these grounds..." "I'm guessing sorry won't cut it, huh," I asked, he didn't even nod.

I feel as though he could rip me apart if I stay here any longer. Better do what I do. "Well, I got the message: peace on earth, make love, not war, gotcha, seeya."

As I tried to scurry away, I heard footstep following from behind me. "What is it now, I..." *Thump* "UGGH!" A fist connected with my face, it Minako'. "That was for Makoto," she said "What," I muttered in confusion. "It was for Makoto, jackass," she roared at me...

Long ago, before the Dark Hour, a couple who had recently gotten married had discovered they were having a child. Months had passed since then, and on the day the child was birthed into the world, nobody knew it then, but this was the beginning of a cruel fate for that child.

5 years after the child's birth, the child felt was growing up as any child would. The child loved her family and thought her family was a perfect one, she was painful wrong.

Her mother and father weren't on the greatest of terms; the mother would confront her grievances towards her husband, who wasn't making enough money for her to feel satisfied with her life, feeling as though people she considered friends mocked her for her low income. And the father would confront his complaints towards his wife for using up their money for materialistic possessions, thus making him have to spend countless nights of fatigue and exhaustion to support his family. Eventually, the husband died due to over exhaustion.

The mother and child were left to grieve. The mother was kind and loving to her child. But now, cold, distant, and very much negative towards her child. It would be a year later, but during that time, because of her self-destructive nature, the mother would lash out at the child. Most of the time, this lead to emotional abuse more than physical. But through all this, the child thought to herself, "Why is mommy yelling at me," "Why doesn't mommy smile at me anymore?" These thoughts and many more would lead her to question if her own mother even cared for her anymore...

One year would pass, it was the year 1999. And in that year, the mother too passed away. Her body was found on the Moonlight bridge, along with other bodies as well. The cause of death was a stab wound, however, it had a bigger opening than a normal sized knife would make; It was believed she was apart of the murder case, but since progress on the case was not made in the least, it was later closed due to the lack of progress...

The little girl would later go on to become an orphan. And for a while, she completely closed herself off from anyone, not because of her mom's death. No, the mental abuse she went through went through brought her to a point where she never wanted to form a bond with anyone ever again, bonds would only bring pain to her... That was until a certain boy came along in her life. That boy would later be Makoto Yuki...

"That was for Makoto, you jackass!" "You god damn bitch!" Succumbed to rage, I drove my fist towards her. I added a sort of gravity effect to it - it'll be strong enough to turn her inside out. "Enough!" The cloaked man stopped my fist with only two fingers. "Heh heh, big mistake. With this skill: it's a sort of technique that combines pierce and gravity. The attack would make a stab wound, then after that, the gravity magic will pull in the area of your body that I hit - your arm in this case. After some painful twisting of your skin towards the new pull in your body, my gravity magic will explode..."

"You're strong indeed, however..." "Arggh!" I felt a sudden stinging sensation all over my arm. I rolled back my sleeve, my whole arm had cut wounds all over it! How in the hell did he do that? "I suggest you both leave, now." I sucked my teeth from his suggestion. This guy, he's no ordinary loser; my skill should've blown his arm off with no trouble...

"Wait a moment..." As I began to calm down, I saw the bigger picture of this whole thing. "Maybe I was wrong about her, maybe she does have something I need from her." I might've been a bit rash here but that doesn't mean I can't try again later, right. "Nyar, you have all the fun toys, I just can't help but feel a bit jealous. So, that means I'll have to play with them behind your back..."

A man reached his hand out towards a little boy, he backed behind his aunt. "It's okay, I don't bite." The man smiled at the child. "You'll be living with him for now on, so introduce yourself..." The little boy quivered a bit, the child wasn't trusting toward strangers. "Well, I'll introduce myself then. I'm Naoya Toudou, nice to meet you. Now, your turn..."

The boy looked the man in the eye and saw no ill will in them; he felt a slight bit comfortable... "I'm, K-Kazuki Kei." "Nice to meet you for the first time, I hope we get along..." This was the beginning of a relationship between two cousins that would be become a strong and tight bond...

The tower, FL: 1, afternoon

"Ow, this hurts so much," I hissed at the pain. "I said you should get some rest, hee." "Yeah, guess you were right." I didn't have time to sit around, I needed to catch up with everyone else.

I woke up being healed by this Jack Frost hanging from my neck. (I was surprised that it wasn't sticking an ice block through me while I was knocked out.) I still thought my bones were still shaking from the inside of my legs. I have no idea how long I was knocked out and that could be a problem.

I seemed to be up a lot higher up than I was before, I was able to see other platforms from below me, now... "Why were you healing me," I asked. "At first, he ho wanted to rip you and that other guys to parts, but then he melted my friends away, hoo. I was scared." He was quivering with a sad expression on his face. Burned away? I then remembered the blonde haired guy that killed Juro. "Did this guy have blond hair!?" "Um, ho." "What does that mean?" "No."

Guess I should've expected that and I mean, why the hell would enemies help each other?

"Hm?" "He ho?" My hand was feeling like crap a minute ago but now, it was like it never even got damaged. I flexed my hand a bit and when I was doing so, I saw something glowing orange. It was my badge!? Shizuka gave me this badge the morning after Gekkoukan was frozen over. I thought Shizuka just gave me this as a throwaway gift.

Actually, its been a while since I seen the others. I know its only been a day but I miss them, all of them, and most definitely Fu-chan... When got here, I told myself that I wouldn't doubt that I can't save her, but now, that's all been put into question; I fought that hooded guy from Yakushima and with Shadow-mog activated, but I still wasn't even a match, not even close. What if there are stronger enemies up ahead?

 **"Stronger? Aren't you that already?"** When I blinked my eyes, I was somewhere else, somewhere dark, cold and isolated. I was sitting on a chair all of a sudden. **"You must really be dense. We already are strong, the problem is you."** "What does that mean?" **"The answer is simple: Shadow-mog."** "Of course, but it's not that simple. Shadow-mog is a lot more complicated than I thought." **"Because of these so-called 'side effects'? You shouldn't trust everything you hear."** " How do I trust you then," I questioned, leaning back into my seat. **"Who knows, maybe you could, maybe you can't. But you should know that I am doing this for survival, and Shadow-mog is the key to that and so is relying on our own power..."** "Our?" **"Hm, whatever you say. We'll continue this talk later.** *Snap*

With the snap of what sound like fingers, my dark surroundings turned back to the dungeon. I was standing in front of a door. "What's going on? What is this door doing here," I leaned back in surprise. "Hmm... Whatever."

I opened the door and slide right in.

The tower, FL: 1, safe room. afternoon

When I got in I saw a bunch of other people onside here, they had a sort of gloom to them, brooding around with weapons in their hands. The room had a circular structure to it, big enough to fit many people all at once

"You're still alive? that's a surprise." Said a voice from behind me. I turned around to see that it was Hisoka. He came over to me and began to pat my pockets, my arms, and pants. "What are you doing," I yelped. "Did you find anything valuable while you were out there," Hisoka asked. "Um, no, but I do have this Jack Frost. " He ho." Hisoka grabbed it by its hat and threw it outside. "*Distant* He ho...!" "What the hell is wrong with you," I cursed. "I hate those Frost demons for more reasons than one..." "...Because he's like a cat, cats hate water."

Another voice came onto the scene. It was Ryota. "Kazuki!" He came towards me and gave me a bear hug. "I thought you were a dead man!" "You're killing me! Stop, I wanna live!" "Oops, sorry..."

He let me go, I think he almost destroyed my spine. "So, what about kitty cats," I asked in disarray. "Well, Hisoka is like a cat that doesn't like water, although, he reminds me of one of those stuck up looking cats." "At least I don't have the brains or looks of a gorilla," Hisoka insulted Ryota. "Ya know, at least I ain't afraid of **Ice** or **water** attacks, like a cat!" "Cats have claws unless you forgot that after our last fight..."

The two began to bicker on about cats and gorillas. This brought a chuckle up from me. It reminded me of Junpei and Yukari.

"...Hey, where's Hana and Ko? I wanna get going." "She's been talking to the randos in here. Ko is in your bag."

My bag... Crap, I forgot about and the thing inside it!

After a few seconds of searching, I found my bag and Hana. She was talking to some vendor that had a mat laid on the floor, and some weapons behind him...

"...Have you seen him," Hana inquired. "Yeah, but he left the safe room to go pass this floor. Sorry, kid." "I see, well, thank you anyway." Hana bowed...

She spotted me when she turned her head. "You're still alive..." "Of course I am. Thought I was done for?" "Yes." I didn't expect her to be so straightforward. The front part of my bag flew open and came out Ko with his Navy blue hair. "Big bro has appeared and so has Ko!" "Whoa, you really can fit inside." It looks kind of comfy if I'm being honest.

"Yeah, but this thing is stabbing me in the back, so I was about to throw it out..." Ko propped up a metallic box that had a blue little glow to it because of a gem. You can see it when you look from the top of the box. It was also protected with a metal cover. (Cylinder sized.) "No!" "Wahh!" I snatched it out of his hands. "Safe." "What is that," Hana asked. "This is the heart to the raid." "What do you mean by that?" I searched the whole room for Hisoka and Ryota, who were facing opposite sides from one another. I whistled to the two of them...

"All right, this box is the heart of this because-" "That box will allow the rest from outside of the tower, to enter," Hisoka explained. "Um, yeah... How do you know that?" I asked with a figurative question mark. "I do my research before jumping head first into something like this, and when I heard Arata had a hand in this plan, I knew something was going on." "Hey, what do you mean by that!?" Ryota yelled at Hisoka.

"...Nothing at all... Anyway, it works like this: There are two boxes - one is the sender and the other is the receiver. The sender and the receiver are linked, no matter where we're at; that could be applied to what dimension we're in." "Dimension? Um, I don't get it." "A dimension is like different worlds from ours," Ryota explained. "The Tower operates differently than the outside world, that much is certain. However, not only are the floors different from one another, it's theorized among these people that the floors themselves enact as different dimensions; so this might go for when we entered the Tower...

Dimension action... That sounds like the sort of thing Fuuka would've taken interest in. "Basically: the floors are most likely in a sort of pocket dimension of their own, but they are connected to one another. That is if it's not just a theory." Hisoka stated.

"Now, can we go." Hisoka pocketed his hands and relaxed his posture. "Yeah, there's no time to waste. Alright then, let's all move out then," Hana commanded. I put the box back into my bag and I slug it onto my back...

"Miss, I do remember something else." The old man Hana was talking to earlier came over to speak to her. "...He left with someone, the young man had a blond hair with some brown in the mix. He was also wearing a suit he called it? Well, that's all I know, I wish you luck." The old man bowed then walked away... "What was that about?" Ryota asked. "Nothing, we can go now guys..." Hana tried to get us away from what the old man said.

"The woman is hiding something," Hisoka told me. It was something important, but if she wants to keep it to herself, guess I can't do anything. All we can do is let it keep it to herself...

 _"...Kazuki..."_ "*Gasp*" That voice; Fuuka! There was something to it, something in there. Her voice felt sad, scared, and isolated. Oh, damn it! What in the heck am I doing!? I've been screwing around down here!

"Ko, hang on to something." "What, big BROOO!," Ko yelled out the bro part as I started running like my life depended on it. I opened the door out of this room, leaving everyone else behind. I'm done screwing around, I'm coming to save you Fuuka, I mean it!

* * *

 **Ya know, I shouldn't strike above 4k for every chap (fatigue is more apparent.) So really, I have no excuse, it was an on again off again thing with this chap due to me get down a significant amount of stuff down, then, being the idiot I am, I wouldn't save after those long periods of works. Then, the site would log me out, leaving me back at square one; basically: I would lose motivation for a bit due to those screw-ups, but I just pumped through it anyway, so everything is A-okay! So please, if you like the fic please follow so you know when I upload, don't forget reviewing, those help. Also, gonna tone it down the amount of words I have per chapter. (Minus the major chaps.) Thank you for reading, and until the next chapter; see ya...**


	44. A dance with a grim reaper

9/6 Sun, Iwatodai Dormitory, morning

I was waiting outside for Kazuki, sitting on the steps as I took a quick glance at my phone... The door behind me flew open behind me, it was none other than Kazuki, looking as though he just remembered that I was out here.

"What took you so long," I asked as I showed him the time on my phone. "Sorry, I had to tell Fu-chan that we were gonna be hanging out today, but I had to make sure to tell her weren't going on a date or anything." "I'm sure she knows that already." "You think so?"

I got up from the steps and I leaned on the rail. "Wanna get going now?" "Yeah, let's roll!"

Paulowna mall, Chagall cafe, morning

We had been in the cafe for a couple of minutes now, we had just got drinks. "Ah, that's good. How's your coffee, Shizuka?" "Yeah...it's great." I wasn't lying when I said that, but I didn't really have more to add to that. This had later turned to just the both of us just drinking our drinks in other silence...

"Shizuka, I gotta ask: are you still staying up late?" "I guess a little bit, but I'm able to get some sleep. Is it that obvious." I rubbed my eyes to keep them open. "It kind of is... In fact, you've been staying Tartarus a lot longer than you usually do." It was true, I was staying in there for a longer amount of time, to the part where it gets kind of dangerous...

"I'm fine, I just keep losing track of time is all." "Ugh, and I'm secretly rich (on second thought, I might be). You're lying. These past three days you have been acting like Tartarus is going somewhere." "As I said before: I'm fine. I just feel as though I should get some training in before we face against the moon shadows..." That was only half the truth at the time, but I felt as though I didn't need to train myself any further to beat those things... I stirred my coffee, looking at the liquid follow along with my spoon.

"Kazuki, have you ever felt scared? So scared that your whole body went numb, and your mind wanted to go somewhere else, away from yourself?" Kazuki rubbed his chin as he was thinking on my question. "Yeah, of course I did, there were moments I was scared; like I used to think there were monsters in the dark when I was a kid when Naoya told me a scary story." "Um, maybe that could fit what I said if you were still a child." I took a sip of my coffee...

"Nevermind that, we should talk about something else," I told him. "Like school?" "Like the organization." Kazuki top a quick drink of his tea, finishing all of it afterward... "All right, what do you need to tell me?" "Okay, let me tell you about where they're located." Kazuki's eyes looked as if they were gonna roll out of his head. "Wait, you knew where they were at!? Why didn't you tell me this before?" Kazuki had caused a little of a commotion, making eyes come to us. I expected him to burst up like this, and I waited for him to take a seat...

"...I could've done that, however, it wouldn't matter much." "Why not?" I relaxed in my seat and I coupled my hands together. "It isn't as easy as showing up and laying waste to them all, or hell, calling the police on them. No...it's a bit more complicated." "How complicated," Kazuki asked me as he was ordering more stuff. "It gets less complicated if you're paying attention," I told as he was scratching his head with a stupid smile... "Basically, they're not touchable right now, but that's only for now. And honestly, if we kill the last shadow we won't even need to do anything against them, and with your shadow-mog, we can fend off an attack from the lackeys." "Oh, I see, so we don't even need to go to them, we just need to destroy the last three shadows and we're good! Sweet!"

But there's a problem in this, I don't know if they'll send the real threats to stop us. In that case, I don't know if his Shadow-mog will be enough...

"...Is there more I should know?" Kazuki snapped me out of my own space and was looking at me with a serious expression. "Hmm, nothing else comes to mind, the stuff I could tell you won't be important, so I guess not." "Ah, then how about the blonde guy?" The blonde guy... "You know who I'm talking about?" "Yes, I do, but..." I remembered when I panicked when I sensed him; it was a rather embarrassing moment for me. "I don't know much about him, but I did hear he was...disturbed. So I didn't try to go anywhere near him..." "Yeah, guess we felt it first hand, didn't we?" He was right, when I sensed him, I felt something indescribable, but if I tried to put it into words: it was like a river, but more violent and could as easily wash along with it; never being able to escape it...

"Hey, I didn't tell anyone this, but, I met Katsu after the whole night queen incident." I was surprised to hear that name. "Oh, what happened?" "He told me he would kick my ass when we fight again." "Should've guessed, he truly is arrogant when it comes to fighting, in fact, it's a bit admirable." "Really? I think he's a bit in over his head." "I completely agree with you on that. Though, if we're talking about pure skill, he might have you beat," I stated as I finished my coffee. Masaru is pretty ill-tempered and by no means a stranger to jumping the gun, but there is a certain focus he has when he fights, there is no doubt about it...

"Here's your tea and cake, sir." The waitress put down another cup of tea and cake in front of Kazuki. "Thank you. Wow, this looks really good!" His eyes sparkled as he was in awe at the cake; it had fine detail put into it making it that more delicious to the eye... He began to take eat the cake in small pieces.

"So sweet!" He had his finger squishing against his cheek as he was smiling with delight. Is it that good? "You should've gotten this Shizuka, it's delicious!" "Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm good; shouldn't really have cake in the morning." "Aww, it's only just one, it won't hurt." Kazuki made a gesture towards the cake... I didn't plan on eating this early, but... "Alright, order me one." "Hehe, ask and you shall receive."

Kazuki called over the waitress to order another cake. a couple minutes later, it was placed in front of me...

"Well, don't be shy." I took the fork off the table and I stuck it into the cake. I took a piece of it and put into my mouth. "So, how does it taste," Kazuki asked with anticipation. It was sweet but not too sweet for the teeth. "Good, right?" Kazuki finished his cake when he said that... It really is good.

"Hm, ah. Shizuka, we should get going, we don't want to waste all of our time here." "But I didn't finish yet." "I see, I see, take your time..."

We had exited out of Chagall, Kazuki looked over to the newly restored drug store. It was actually a month ago it was finally back to being open.

"What's wrong," I asked Kazuki as he was looking around the mall. "Minako destroyed this portion of the mall, no," I asked. "Yeah, she did. That was one hell of a night, I thought we were actually gonna die." "You could've if I hadn't come for you."

That night I was tailing him as I did after the night I met him. At the time, I was ordered to and to document any change with him. My first fight with him was to gauge his abilities, mainly to see if he would do something abnormal from a Person with a Persona. The first fight was a failure, the second fight was where I was able to confirm an abnormal power; Oceans stream... It was a rather strong ability, even when I guarded with my Persona, it still did damage to me... But when asked me to train him, I thought he was insane, and I still do. But to where he asked me for training, he gave me a chance; a chance to break away from the organization...

"Shizu." "Yeah." "Want a Jack Frost doll?" My eyebrow rose in surprise. I looked to where Kazuki was pointing, it was the claw machine next to the arcade. "I don't want one." I tried to walk away, resisting the urge to go over to the machine and drop a coin in there. "Are you sure? They have keychains of them in it. And guess what: they're just as fluffy as the bigger ones." I stopped moving for a moment and I turned to the machine.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are here to witness a matchup that has been anticipated since the dawn of time." Kazuki was pretending he was holding a microphone and making gestures towards the claw game. In the red corner, the machines of a cruel joke, the machine that'll get you and your money: The claw machine!" He points to me. "...And in the blue corner, we have the girl of legend, the chosen one, the one to save the frost: Rin Shizuka!" I put a coin inside the machine and I began to move the claw...

I nearly had the ring of the chain but I was off by a bit. "Damn!" "Yikes, better luck, nex-" "Be quiet!" I tried again, but the arm of one of the bigger ones got in the way. Frustrated, I put another coin in... Every single attempt met with failure. It broke down to a boiling point where I actually punched the machine. "Whoa, Shizu, its okay, it's just a game. Um, Shizuka, you okay?" Realizing that I had lashed out in anger and hit the game, I felt immensely embarrassed.

"I-I'm sorry you had to see this, it's a shameful display of anger." I apologized to Kazuki. "Let's leave." I tried walking away while hanging my head down...

I was waiting for Kazuki as he was still inside the mall...

"Here." Kazuki threw something at me. It was a Jack Frost keychain. "Did you win this?" "Well, yeah, almost didn't even get it; it was really hard!" I looked at it for a moment, I felt ashamed for not being able to get something as simple as this. "No, I can't." I threw back at him. "Why not? Thought you wanted it?" "I did but I didn't earn it myself, you did. So have it." Kazuki made an annoyed expression at me. "Come on, who cares. Just consider it a present from me to you." "I can't," I persisted. He had sighed to himself as he rotated his finger on his forehead.

"Fine, fight me for it!" "Huh?" He presented his fist in front of me. "Rock, paper, scissors." He seemed fixed on doing this. "What's the matter, you scared of losing more than twice in a row?" Pressing against a nerve, I felt a sudden determination to do this.

"Fine, you want a battle, let's have one!" I put my fist forward towards his... "Alrighty, you ready," Kazuki asked me. "Same can be asked for yourself..." I had felt a tension in the air for this, my arms tensed up a little. "Ready... Rock, paper, scissors..."

10/6 Tues, the tower, FL:1,?

"Why is she sleeping, doesn't she know we're in a hurry," Yukari irritatedly said. "Maybe it's from her wounds," I pointed out. "Maybe, must be a bitch to move around with her wounds," Junpei added. "It is." I rubbed my arms, touching my scars through my uniform jacket. "Oh, sorry dude." "No, it's fine, I'm just remembering the tough times I had here, but with my experience, I'm ready now!" Junpei rubbed his upper lip. "Aw yeah! Makoto is coming in for round two, and with backup!" Junpei wrapped his arm around my neck and swung me around.

"Hey, Junpei, cut it out, you'll hurt Makoto-kun!" Yukari tried to get me out of his grasp, but it caused more swinging. While I was getting dizzier and dizzier, I Shizuka holding something in her hand; a Jack frost keychain. She was holding on to it tightly. I also noticed she was smiling brightly. She's prone to wear a serious, if not, an expressionless face. But now, she had a radiance coming from her, it was a calm and gentle one... Interesting.

...

Running up the unbelievable amount of stairs was the most tiring thing I have done all day (minus fighting). I would've used Shadow-mog to just skip through this whole place, but the place became more of a corridor than it was an open space before, so it made it kind of hard to know where I'm going. Ko was still sitting in my bag with my sword in there...

"Kazuki-bro, it's pretty dark in here and it smells really bad. Can we turn back?" "No, we need to keep going on ahead." "But it's-" "We can't!" I had yelled out, my voice echoed throughout the corridor. I didn't mean to yell at the kid, but we seriously can't go back; I can feel like we're getting close to the end.

Oh, great." There was a fork road, two different corridors, both equally as dark as the other.

"Ko, which way?" "I don't know." "Come again?" "I said I don't know." Great, so much for breezing through this place (I wish Shadow-mog could help me see in the dark). "So, then, what now," Ko asked. "Well, we might need to take a shot in the dark (pun not intended)." "But what if we take the wrong turn?" "Yeah, that might not be a good thing," I said I was trying to choose which one to go through.

"Wanna do heads or tails," Ko suggested. "You know about that game?" "Of course. I play it all the time when I need to decide on something." "Sounds like a, um, interesting way to make a decision on something, but I don't feel like leaving it all to luck," I say that but it beats sitting here all day. "I might regret this, but flip the coin." "On it!" I heard a coin being tossed in the air. I was anticipating the coin to land. "Got it," Ko said out loud, startling me a bit. "Go left!" Still, against my better, I had left...

My footsteps began to echo loudly throughout the tunnel. I had felt my legs tense up as I kept walking forward. The chance we choose the wrong way to go is looming over my head and crushing me like a 50-ton weight.

"Hm, Kazuki-bro, is this tails?" Ko showed me the side he thought was headed. "No, that's heads." "Huh, oh... Then we went the wrong way." I would probably panic about that but considering that nothing happened yet, going left doesn't seem like a choice yet.

"Stop!" Ko had grabbed my neck, trying to make me stop. "What, what is it!?" "I smell something, something foul!" I heard footsteps drawing closer to us. They stopped at the same time as I stopped moving. It was still too dark for me to see in front of me.

"Move left, bro!" As Ko told me, I stepped left, and I looked at where I was standing, I saw a blade there. "What the-" "Step back!" Moved back to avoid another strike. "What the hell is going on, and how can you see in this place?" Ko kept telling me to step back, left, right, all over the place. It was time to retaliate. "Skeith!" Fist began to fly faster than any swordsman can strike.

"Random attacks will not strike me down!" The voice state. It had a ghastly tone in its voice, making it sound kind of hollow, too. Skeiths blows were being pushed back (I can feel it). "Bro, guard yourself!" I called my Persona back and had it guard us. I felt a heavy force strike at my Persona's arms, it wasn't much, but I still feel some throbbing. Fighting in here was a bad idea; not only am I limited to my persona, but I can't use Ocean's stream in here. So I called my Persona back and I ran away.

"Ko, can you see the dark, or was that something else?" I had asked while panting over my words. "Yes! I'll tell you where you're going!" "Good!"

I had no idea if the enemy behind us was hot on our asses or not. All I know is that I need to back to the fork road. "Stop, were at the tunnels again!" I looked at the tunnel on the right. Just like before, I made an arrow pointing towards the tunnel, and I crossed out the other one I made earlier.

I proceeded to run through the other tunnel. It was the other one, long, dark, and tense as hell. It began to get a bit lighter, little by little. I began to see the light at the end of the tunnel. "Exit found, baby!" As I went through the exit, I found myself in a spacious room, it had looked as old as the rest of this place. There was also a giant door face us and it seemed like it was ready to give way any second now.

 **"My food has finally come!"** It was that voice again! "though, this one looks like he wasn't seasoned properly enough... Ah! I have a perfect idea!" The floor began to rumble, rubble from the ceiling started falling down. A wall came out from the ground. I had backed up to the entrance when more walls were coming out of the ground. After a while of hearing walls coming out of the floor, it finally stopped...

"Were surrounded by walls," Ko stated. "What is this!" I yelled towards the voice. **"It's my personal favorite way to season my food: a maze. but this is no ordinary maze, no. You will have to fight demons while you make to where I am, and there will be a special guest waiting for near the end. So get a move on!"**

That's just perfect, I don't have time for this crap. These walls didn't look too high up, so I can activate Shadow-mog and rush through this. "...And if you try to go through this maze by climbing out, the result will not be satisfactory for you." Like he read my mind.

"Ko, can you smell this voice?" If he could smell it, we're home free. "I smell something but it's the smell of regular demons." Only small fry, huh. That puts a damper on my easy way out. "Although, with a stronger sniff, I can smell one that really stands out above the rest. It's really bad, I mean really bad!" Ko's fear was noticeable, and I know we might go up against something dangerous, but I can't go back!"

"Take me to it." "But we'll-" "It's okay..." I turned me to Ko and I gave him a thumbs up. "No matter what's in my way, I'll knock it down, even if it's the heavens themselves!" I was speaking (shouting) in a triumphant voice. It was ridiculous, but I need him to get me through this.

"So Ko, trust me, your bro can handle this; this nothing to me." I pointed my thumb towards my heart. "I...I believe. I believe!" The reinvigorated Ko slapped his cheeks and climbed into my hood.

"I'll sniff the way to it." "You gonna be okay doing that?" It seemed like a pointless question but I couldn't stop myself from asking. "I still am scared of it, and it's smell, but if anyone could confront it, it has to be you. So yeah, I'll be good." Ko was fired and ready to go.

Along the way through the maze, we fought several demons, but they were as easy as fighting shadows. Ko was pretty good as support, he could sniff out unexpected enemies, and he was covering my six. We made a pretty killer team so far...

"Bro, why are you here," Ko asked me "What do you mean?" "I mean, where do you come from, and why did you come here; it's obvious you're not from around here." Ko presented a picture in front of me. It was the one during the summer festival. "Hey, don't go through my things without permission! And speaking of that, is there some of those candies left?" I asked as he was unwrapping another one. "Yes, and sorry."

I looked at the picture, seeing Shizuka and Fuuka in it made me feel a little melancholy. Fuuka truly was beautiful that night...

"She's beautiful," Ko stated, pointing to Fuuka. "Yeah, she is, and she's the reason I'm here; to save her!" Ko shoved the candy he had in front of me. "Don't worry Bro, you'll save her! As you said, you can knock anything down, so saving someone shouldn't be a problem for you!" Like he was pro, Ko was able to make me smile a bit, something I haven't been able to do for a while now.

"Thanks, Ko. But why do you think I'll be the only one to do this?" "Huh?" I messed with his hair a little bit. "We're gonna kickass together, and save the beauty!" "Yeah!" Ko and I bumped fist and went along the way.

"Ko, can I ask you something?" "Sure bro, what is it?" "So the Clans, can you tell me about them? Figure why not learn something about them." Ko nodded yes. He cleared his throat and began to speak.

"The clans were established after a great war between the people of the desert and the people of the tower." "Oh, I already heard about that." Ko seemed dissatisfied with that.

"W-well anyway, the war had ended with a devastating result, the North being the most notable area to be affected by the war." "Okay, but why were clans born after that? Wouldn't they be a thing before the war?" "Well, I was told the west, east, and north were inhabited by demons, so it was pretty dangerous to live there. But that changed after the war. The territories were cleared from demons in the west and east." "What about the North?" "The North was abandoned by the bandits, but the people who didn't leave rallied behind someone that wanted to fix it."

Sounds like someone had their work cut out for them. "So, who cleared the two sides?" "Grandpa and Mr. Arata, with support from others of course!" That sounds awesome! I imagine the old man's size gave him an advantage.

"Wait, is Tamotsue your grandfather? I don't really see the resemblance between the two." "...No, he said I could call him that since I couldn't say his name right, and he didn't want me calling him old man." Pride in age, a beautiful thing I had the pleasure of experiencing once (it sucked).

"I'm actually glad I can call him that," Ko told me with his face buried in my neck. "It made me feel like I wasn't alone, that I had some there with me. Because in the beginning, I was all alone. My first memory was waking up in front of the tower, on the ground... I remember walking endlessly towards somewhere but I don't know what. ...It was very lonely."

The story resonated with me. I could actually feel the weight of his words hit me. Guess we both been through the wringer then. "But when Grandpa found me lying on the floor, he took me in, and after that, I didn't feel so lonely anymore! Grandpa was the one who taught me about the war, and I learned how to speak and everything else from him too." Ko was all smiles after his story. There was a sign of gratitude in his silver eyes that seem to make them shimmer. I can tell because I had that feeling when I first became friends with Fuuka. But I really feel a lot of it for Naoya. Overall: I'd say we both have people to be grateful for...

"We're here!" Ko said. I got my sword out and I took a stance. "Show yourself and lets this show on the road already!" My demand was met with a flash of dark blue lighting striking the ground in front of me. A demon appeared in front of us. Its head and hand had no skin to it, so it looked like a skeleton. It was wearing weird clothes, it was also wielding a sword and a red cape.

" **I'm surprised you made it all the way to me. Consider me impressed."** "I'm flattered," I retorted as I took off my bag. **"However, that was just a megger maze, this fight is the main entertainment!"** The demon pointed the sword to me. **"Come at me with all your might, but I - Matador - shall come at you, head on!"**

The demon charged at me with his sword held in front of him, he had thrust his sword when he got in striking distance. I had stepped to the left and moved forward. I did a horizontal slash, only for Matador to avoid it. It retaliated, but I was able to block it, just barely though. I went in for another slice but he was able to avoid it like before. "He's fast!" He was faster than what I was expecting, his sword was gliding through the air as if it was butter. He was leaving a few scratches but they nothing to worry about. I was throwing swings at a moderate rate, enough to sort of keep up with Matador but not enough to break through his defenses. Honestly, this guy was on par with Shizuka if she was actually trying to kill me!

"Bro, watch your back!" As Ko forwarned, I turned around to find the demon behind me. It thrust its sword at my chest but I was able to deflect it just in time, but the sword has stabbed something else. *Stab* "Shit, the badge!" The badge that was healing my smaller wounds had a sword inside it. "Tch! Skeith!" A barrage of punches, with the last one sending it flying... It had land gracefully though, nonetheless.

"Damn, I thought that would do it!" **"Those attack had fury, but not enough power. However, the same will not be said for me!"** A green aura was surrounding the red cape and after Matador waved it, the green aura flew past him as if it was a gentle breeze... In mere seconds, Matador vanished.

"Where did he..." "Bro, behind you!" I turned my head in response. He was standing there, I summoned Skeith but he vanished again. "To your side!" I summoned again but he had disappeared again. Again and again, I summoned, he vanished. This went for a whole minute until he hit me with a garu spell. It had sent me rolling back a bit, giving me little cuts on my cheeks. By the time I recovered, it was standing in front of me.

"Skei-" *Thump* "AGHHH!" I took a kick to the face, sending me into the wall. Damn, this was the worst-case scenario, I can't keep up with him anymore, that buff really screwed me over!

 **"You there, child. You were able to keep up with me, despite my speed..."** He pointed his sword towards Ko now. "Hey, he has nothing to do with this fight, you son of a bitch!" I roared as I got back to my feet. **"Perhaps, but an unexpected intervention like the ones he has made shall not be done again."** Matador raised his sword above Ko's head. Damnit, this is bad, it hasn't been that long since I've used Shadow-Mog and if I use it now, I'll...

 **"Now...die!"** With the slash of its sword, a large gust of wind hit the area where Ko was...

 **"...You're full of surprises,"** Matador had told me. "Yeah, but I didn't have a choice but to pull this one." "B-bro?" I had Ko in my arms, I was able to save him in the brink of time. "What happened to your eyes," Ko had asked me. "Its cool, I just get these when I really get in gear." I walked over to the wall, I lay Ko on it. "Kazuki-bro, will you be okay?" "Yeah, I'll be fine now. Just heal yourself up and rest for a minute, okay?" "Okay..." I took off my hoodie and put it on him. I got up from my knees and I glared back at Matador, fueled with anger at the demon.

 **"Your eye speaks volumes of hatred for me."** "Yeah, you could say that, but I feel like it's more appropriate to say that I feel a great amount of disdain for you." **"I see, but one should not be surprised at what a demon - such as myself - does?"** "You have it all wrong, I'm not surprised, I'm pissed that you went that far!"

I don't have time for small talk, I need to defeat him here and now! When he vanished, he thought I didn't see him move behind me. I turned my blade and thrust it backward. *Stab* **"*Gasp*"** "Got you that time." **"Was it because of that child?"** "No, like I said: he has nothing to do with this." **"Interesting, however, you're still in striking range!"** It had swung its sword but I had duck down. I ripped out my sword and made some distance. It moved at high speeds that I wasn't able to keep up with before, but now, I can match it. *Clang* **"Haha! Looks like this'll be a more entertaining show than I thought!"** "Oh, it'll get interesting, but it won't be fun!"

We clashed swords, the speed was kicking up some wind. I was making sure that we didn't go anywhere near Ko. The demon was starting to use garu skills against me, but I was either able to cancel it out or dodge them. **"Swift strike!"** His sword was coming at me double times. I canceled out the first hit but the second landed on my forearm. ÄRGGHH!" **"Dark sword!"** I tried to stop him but my arm felt a bit off. I had stopped the attack from connecting, but when the attack connected to my sword, I felt this sort of daze come over my mind; everything was getting all mixed up. "Damnit, can't think straight...!" Matador made a couple of stabs at me, I just jumped back just to slip on my butt. Damnit, I don't have much more time in this form, I gotta end this, now!

"Okay, let's end this." Still dazed, I powered up my sword full of white energy. "T-take this! Ocean's stream!" I had launched, but due to my mind being messed up, it had flown off course from the enemy. *Bang* **"Such power, but little aim."** Damn, I can't be missing like this. **"Under the daze of my attack, you shall not be able to land another hit on me."** "Yeah, we'll see about that!" But I gotta figure a way out first...

" **Here I come,"** Matador announced. He ran towards me, sword pointing ahead of himself. I have to back away, blocking wouldn't work. My dazed state was wearing off, little by little, but not fast enough. Shadow-mog is close to being deactivated and I still hadn't beaten this thing, gotta think now...!

 **"Now, for the finale, Andalucia!"** Matador's sword was moving faster than it ever was before. This is my last chance to defeat him, I can't afford to miss my chance. I opened my eyes wide open, I needed to find an opening, a point where I can slip past his sword and not give him enough time to guard. When I finally found my opening, I rolled under Matador's blade, landing me right underneath him. **"*Gasp*"** "HA!" I connected my sword to the top of Matadors' skull, I then began to drag down through the demon's body.

 **"Finish it."** A voice told me. I charged up an Ocean's stream, I had slammed it right at the separated demon. Its body had been disintegrated from the attack, turning what remained of the demon into nothing...

That voice, it wasn't the one that was controlling the layout of the dungeon... Whatever, I gotta go see if Ko is alright. I went over to the sleeping child, so far he seemed to still be sleeping. "Thank you, god, he's all right." I got up from my knees, I began to space out for a second, I then came back to reality. "Shadow-mog is about to end..." I took a deep, calming breath, I was preparing for what was about to come... "*Breathing*" *Crack* "ARGGGGGHHHHH!" The pain just suddenly came at me like a goddamn bullet train. My mind went wild as I was experiencing the penalty. This is what happens if I use Shadow-mog before it has a chance to cool down, I receive damage after Shadow-mog is over. And it goes without saying, it was excruciating...!

*Pant* *pant* *pant* I can feel my whole body throbbing, my body had tensed up to the point where taking steps was a challenge. I saw that Ko was still asleep, good. "I'm glad you're safe..." My consciousness was wavering, the pain made it harder to stay awake. I lost my balance and all at once, I fell down to the ground, making a loud thud sound...

...

"*Groaning*" I felt a light sensation hitting my chest. I had a banging headache that was like a bulldozer hitting my head over and over again. I saw Ko making the healing sensation with his magic... "Kazuki-bro! Wake up!" "Ahh, I'm up, I'm up." "Thank you, god!" Ko was crying as he was thanking the gods I was awake. Why do I always put people in this situation...?

"I-I-I saw you on the floor b-but I didn't see any serious wounds on you! But then I-I checked with my eyes, and I saw most of your bones were strained, so I began to heal you! I had thought you died!" Huh, "checked with his eyes"? I tried to move, while most of the all the sore spots on my body felt better, there were some that still hurt like a hell. "Gah!" "Kazuki-bro, don't move. I treated most of the sore spots, but this side still needs to be healed. Just hold still, this will take a while." "Sorry, but, we don't have a while. We need to get going right now."

I tried to get up, with success, I was able to manage that. "No, stop moving! You need rest!" "I'm fine, really, I'm as fit as a fiddle." He wasn't convinced by that, his eyes would support that... "Ko, I know that I'm gravely hurt, but listen, I can still fight. So just let it slide this once, okay?"

Ko seemed to be thinking about his answer on this one. I know he just wants to help, I can't be resting now, so we... "No." Ko shoved his small hands in front of me as if he was telling me to stop. "Huh?" "I won't let you go off and fight with wounds like that! Even if I did, if you got in over your head, you would be killed, and I don't want that!" "Ko, I swear, I'll be fine." "No, you won't be, your bones are stressed." "I'll-" "...And if you keep pushing them, eventually, your body will break, and even I might not be able to fix it!"

Ko firmly stood his ground against me, not giving an inch within his reasoning. "I...I know, but I'm running on borrowed time here. I don't have time to worry about myself Ko. I just don't..." My arms were shaking like hell, I could feel my teeth pushing up against each other... "But I care! Because if you were to die while I could've helped, I don't know what I'll do!"

Ko's voice echoed through the maze. Ko's persistence on trying to help me reminded me of...Fuuka. I sighed to myself in defeat.

"Guess I lost this one." I got down to the ground, in front of Ko. "...Go on." "Bro." "Come on man, gonna heal me or not?" Ko lightly slapped his cheeks and began to heal me. The process was sort of slow, but little by little, I felt the stress on my bones go away.

"Okay, I was able to relieve you of most of the stress, but you shouldn't push yourself too hard, so that means don't do what did this to your body." "Yeah, doc." I put my uniform jacket back on, I had stretched arms and back.

"Right, let's get going!" Ko yanked at my pants. He pointed to my hoodie that was on the floor. I went to pick it up. Dusting off by waving it, something had fallen out. It was my Jackfrost doll. Picking it up reminded me of Shizuka. I hope she's okay...

"Bro, are we going," Ko shouted. "Yeah, wait up..." I put on my hoodie and I ran towards the kid. I gripped the chain in my hand tightly.

The tower, FL:1,?

With Ko's sense of smell, we had finally reached the giant door we saw before the maze. I had felt a presence near the door

 **"So, you had made it out of the maze. Quite impressive."** "Yeah, I got through that thing, now let me through that door!" **"Okay, then I guess its high-time I appear and consume my dinner."** A giant blue lightning bolt hit the floor in front of me. The blue mist covered the demon, but not its figure. **"BUONO!"** I saw something coming fast through the mist. I summoned Skeith and had it knock the object away from me. The impact rang like a bell in a church, it was as big as one. **"My, my, you dodged my attack, did** you?"The mist cleared, and through it, we saw the demons form. "What in the living hell," I cursed. "IT'S A PIG!" **"Buono, it's great you didn't get crushed on the first strike, it would be disgusting to eat the remains."** The demon was a giant yellow, talking pig.

"So I guess I have to defeat you to get past that door." **"BUONO, yes, but it doesn't matter since I'll eat you anyway, and since you have a very... excellent smell to you... Oh, oh my! This smell, it's...!"** The demon swung its staff at us. I had dodged out of the way and the rode had striked where I was. **"BUONO, A WONDERFUL SMELL!** **"** "What in the hell?" The thing had looked like it was a wild animal looking its next meal. "Ko, go far away, this gonna get rough." "Okay but remember what I said." I gave him the thumbs up. He jumped off my back and scurried away. Can't use Shadow-mog no matter what, this gonna be a bit difficult. **"BUONO!"** "God, that is really annoying!" I unsheathed my sword, taking a stance, I was ready for this demon, but not without feeling that my chance are down due to my handicap. But whatever! I'm gonna rip right through this thing and get to her!

 **"BUONO!"**


	45. Into the Desert

The tower, FL:1, two days until executions 

The demon slammed its rod at the spot I was standing at. The rod this monster was rocking was strong enough to crush a person like an easy press! I needed to attack but this thing is larger than life itself. "Time to bust loose, Skeith!" He went soaring towards the demon's head, it tried to stop him but Skeith was able to dodge the rod. "Gigantic fist!" A purple fist appeared and hit the demon on the face, making a loud echoing sound. "Yes!" **"Fool."** I felt a hard impact hit my face, my vision was a bit skewed. The demon has physical reflect, that's not doing me any favors. My vision had cleared just in time for me to dodge another attack, the rod had smashed right through a wall. **"Stop moving so much!"** I charged my sword up. I wasn't planning on using too much _SP_ but enough to do damage. Avoiding its rod, I launched the Ocean's stream at him. The demon opened its mouth and chomped down on my attack. "That's not even fair!" Ocean's stream wasn't going to cut nor were physical skills, maybe Ocean's stream can work, I just need to gain a better opening...

"Kazuki-bro, what's the matter," Ko yelled "I'm trying to come up with a distraction! Got any ideas?" "Not really! Wait, I think I do!" Ko rummaged his pocket, he pulled something out. It was a candy bar. I saw the demon's nose twitching. **"That smell, it smells delicious!"** I see, using food as a distraction, why did I think of that (is the candy bar really that good?). "Ko, throw it!" "Right!" He reeled back his arm and positioned himself like a baseball player. He then tried to throw the bar, but...

"..." "..." The wind went by, it being the only thing making noise. "Ko, what the hell was that," I yelled. "I threw it!" "No, you didn't, that was like dramatically dropping it!" "I'm sorry, I'm not meant for throwing, only support!" He was only able to throw the candy like a foot in front of himself. I ran over to him, I grabbed the candy bar and threw it to the side of the demon. It had reached its hand for the bar, I could damage it now. I charged up another stream attack, I aimed the attack carefully. And before it could pull its arm back, I launched the attack. It had sliced through its arm, it fell hard to the ground, making a quaking sensation.

 **"ARGGGGHHHHH!"** The demon was shaking and rocking in pain, it was yelling loud enough to break my eardrums. **"THAT HURTS!?"** It swiped its other hand, its claws sparking. I tried to dodge it but the claw hit my leg. "Gah!" I felt my body tense up as if my muscles were strapped down; I couldn't move my body. "Bro, you've been paralyzed," Ko diagnosed. "I know, just-" The rod had made contact to the side of my body, it had crashed my body between it and the wall. I had my persona cover my back to soften the impact. I still couldn't move, and if I still can't I'll be in for a world of hurt. **"I'll make sure to eat you before you die!"** He thrust his staff in the hole again. I had Skeith guard me but it broke when the rod hit. It kept this up for a minute now, it was still painful to have Skeith guard the attack, but at least the damage was cut in half. After a while, I couldn't gather the energy to summon anymore...

 **"Now, time to dig in."** It reached its hand inside the hole, it pulled me out of it. **"*Sniff* *Sniff* Funny, you smell great but you aren't the smell I was looking for, albeit, you'll do..."** It opened its mouth wide. *Thump* **"Hm?"** I heard something hit the demon, it was Ko and he was throwing pebbles at it. "L-let him g-g-go!" He was quivering like crazy, knowing that this monster could kill him. Did you hear me, I said let him go," he stammered on. **"*sniff* *Sniff* ..You! You're the delicious scent." He let go of me, opping out for Ko.** "Get away from him, you bastard," I weakly said. **"I'll gobble you up, nice and slow; savor the flavor."** He reached his arm for Ko. I mustered all my strength to just get up, even then, I don't think I would have enough energy to do much. "Ko, run!" "I can't abandon you, bro!" "Damn it Ko, just run!" The monster grabbed ahold of Ko, lifting him to the air. "Ko!" **"This'll be great, I can't wait!"** His body was shaking due to its laughter. I can't just sit here and do nothing, I can't just let him die like this!

"Ko, you're gonna be angry at me for this, but..." I needed to save him, I needed to use Shadow-mog...! As I heard Ko's yelling, I tried to switch on Shadow-mog, gathering all the energy I need, going through my process... *Ice shattering* **"ARGGH!"** The demon suddenly cried out in pain. I saw sparkles of ice falling from the sky. "Javelin rain!" I heard someone yell an attack name. There were multiple energy spears that made contact to the demons face. With all that damage, the demon let go of Ko. With adrenalin kicking in, I ran for where Ko was going to fall. I jumped to the air, catching Ko mid-air...

"Ko, are you okay?" "Mhm, but did you do that?" "No." I looked at the exit from the maze, I saw three people walking from the entrance. "You guys..." "Talk later, for now, we fight!" It was Ryota, Hisoka, and Hana. All three of them were able to get through the maze. "Ryota, do that move again," Hana commanded. "Sorry, but that takes a lot of energy out of me missy." "Got anything else then." "Hehe, I got one more trick up my sleeve." He clapped his hands together and a spark of energy came from his palms and it stretched out as he widened the gap between them. The shape the energy beam took was that of a spear. "Let's do this." Ryota ran towards the demon, he then turned his weapon around and threw it at the demon's head. "Extend!" The spear got longer in length, making it hit the demon before it could react.

"Bro, I need to heal you." "Make it quick it quick Ko!"

Horkos swung his rod at Ryota. He blocked the attack but the impact must've shaken him up. "That was a good one, my turn! Hana, launch me!" She used her earth magic to push him up from the ground. He changed the shape of his sword into a bastard sword-shaped beam. The demon lifted its staff to its face to guard against him. Ryota slammed his sword against the rod, the impact was heavy and the shockwave it made was enormous; it was like a giant explosion...!

"Holy shi-" Something else made tremor on the ground. It was one half of Horko's rod. "So cool," I said to myself. Ryota landed on the ground, rolling backward. "That was pretty decent, let me give it a try," Hisoka declared. He took a stance, lowering his hand to the ground. He then raised his arm towards the sky, a giant pillar of ice flew forward from below the demon. It had hit its stomach, the ice pillar had crushed the demon against the door.

 **"Bunon! This hurts, this-"** "Persona!" I sent out Skeith, had it aiming its fist for the head. "Gigantic fist!" The fist smashed against its head, making a loud echo sound. That was only the beginning of my onslaught. "Yo, Skeith, give him a beat down." As commanded, skeith began to bring a downpour of punches, each one louder than the last...

"Hmm... Did that do it?" **"B-b-b-buono..."** "Nope, I guess we need one more punch to settle." "God, stop dragging this out," Hisoka peevishly demanded. He jumped on the demon and quickly ran up on it, reaching its head...

"This is how you make sure they never get back up..." He raised his sword, turning the sword from the back of the sword to the blade. He swiftly swiped his sword through Horko's neck. I felt a slight breeze, too cold, it did, however, send a chill down my spine. It also did have a sort off...feeling to it.

"...For insurance." He pushed his palm forward towards the demon. "Now die!" Ice came shooting out from his hand, the enormous block of ice smashed at the demon's body, stabbing through, slamming it to the ground and the door behind it... The demon began to disintegrate, turning into black ooze like it was a shadow... After the shadow dissolved into nothing, Hisoka broke down his ice with a touch of his fingertips. The ice formed into tiny crystal snowflakes, they were beautiful to look at; Ko tried to catch some but failed to realize they were too small for him to catch.

"That was the boss, consider me unimpressed," Hisoka stated. "Maybe we were a bit too strong for him," Ryota stated. "Either way, it was a pathetic fight. And you." Hisoka pointed to me. He's probably pissed that I ran off on my own. "...How did you let such a worthless monster be able to cause you this much damage?" "Um, cause it was stronger than me." I could've used Shadow-mog could've pulverized it if I wanted to...

"Whatever, you're D-rate then." "Huh, D? What does that mean?" D-rated fighter, that's what I mean." I balled up my hands, a sudden ting of anger surfaced. "Hey, I did pretty fine before this demon!" "Do you mean with the Matador demon?" Hisoka questioned, no, more or less pointed out. "Wait, you saw me fight that thing?" "Yes, I found you first, but when you were fighting that grim reaper, I saw how you handled it; it was a pathetic display of a fighter, expected for a D rank." "Does it really matter, as long as I have power, who cares how I fight." Hisoka didn't respond to my ideal, he just simply nodded his head. He walked past me, but he stopped. "...Those who solely rely on their power are the first to die. You'd best remember that if you want to live through this excursion..." He walked over to the ooze and picked something up from it, a key. "Looks like they weren't lying," Hana said as Hisoka held up the key...

"Kazuki-bro," Ko called to me, concern in his voice. "What's wrong bro?" "Nothing, I'm fine..." Relying on my power. Of course, I am, it's the only reason I'm alive right, I-I need it... *Sigh* What am I saying, I sound like a junkie. **"No, you're right, you need this power to get through this place."** "Do I? Maybe I'm okay the way I am. I mean, what type of power hurts you, sounds pretty shitty to me." **"It wouldn't be like that if you** **just accept it fully, to accept me fully!"** "Tch, get real, I'm never gonna do that. And if I were to, you would-" **"...Fine, I get the hint, I'll back off for now, but we'll continue this at a later date..."**

I heard a loud creaking sound, like gears beginning to rotate, grinding against each other. The giant door behind me opened...

"Kei, we need to move," Hana said. All these thoughts in my head need to be put aside, they're not important right now. "...Besides, it's not like I submitted to it or anything."

I looked straight at the door ahead of us. It was as dark as the entrance to the tower. Though, there was something different about this doorway. "Are these stars," Ryota asked. "Seems like it. Put my hand through it, there was a ticklish sensation to it when I put them through it. "Let's go." Everyone went through the door, and before I went through entirely, I stopped, my head turning around. I almost forgot about my bag. I tore myself out of the doorway and jogged to my bag...

"Almost forgot my bag." I threw it over my shoulder, ko shifted around to hop in the bag... "Ya ready Ko?" "Always, big bro!" I spun around, now facing the door. I was feeling good about this, good that I was making progress, now I'm one step closer to Fuuka...

The Tower, FL:?

I was testing my new powers, they were amazing, but... "This is bullshit." I sat down on the floor, trying to catch my breath.

"Yo, kid." That voice belonged to that M guy. Shady bastard. "What do you want, can't you see I'm busy?" "Hey, come on, don't give me the cold shoulder. And here I was, thinking we could have a dialogue... Well, thinking about it was my first mistake." The hooded bastard giggled to himself, it only serves to annoy me. "I don't think you heard me: I'm busy. So screw off!" "Aheheh, trust me, you don't want me to, at least, not yet. You would want to hear what I have to say first." "Then quit leading me on and spit it." M sat down in mid-air. "I want you to be a floor guardian." The offer didn't shock me, but it was surprising since it just came out of the blue. "Not interested." "You sure? You realize you'd be missing out on a chance to-" "Fight Kei Kazuki, I'd never miss an opportunity like that... But I don't need your help to do that."

I got up from the floor and made my way out of the training room. "Then what you gonna do," M asked, spinning around in mid-air as if he was on a real spinning chair. "What floor is he on now?" "Hmm, he just cleared the first floor, so he's bound to be on floor two." "Good, I have more time then." "...Time for what? Come on, tell me, I'm dying to see what you mean!" I chuckled aloud. "And ruined the surprise? No, but I will suggest you sit back, and watch the hell I'm gonna raise..."

I walked out of the training room, throwing my jacket back on. I wasn't gonna rely on that guy to set matchup between me and him; I need to earn it!

The Tower, FL:?, Hifumi's lab

I opened the door to my master's laboratory, quietly so I won't disturb him. I closed the door behind me just as quietly as I opened it.

"I'm back master!" "Welcome back Ichirou, how was your mission?" "Why ask such a question, you were watching with one of the Yatagarasu birds, weren't you?" He had those birds all over the tower and in the outside of it. Plus, he can see through them, he's nothing short of amazing! "Just simply thought you would've liked for me to ask how your mission went," master pointed out. "Oh, I see. You were trying to be considerate, you're so kind master," I merrily chirp.

"Master, I also have something else to ask." "Go ahead." "I was in the bandit country in the desert town, investigating a lead about a person wearing our mask." I lifted up a black mask. "Master, that bitch is here, isn't she," I bitterly stated, gripping the mask hard enough to cause a dent, which I did. "Ichirou." Master calling my name snapped me out of my raged induced state. I took a few deep breaths, trying to suppress my emotions.

"It's okay master, I'm fine now..." Master Hifumi turned around and walked over to me. "I know your anger towards her betrayal and I do not want you to forget that anger. However, do not allow it to cloud your judgment." "Of course, master, I'd never compromise your plans for her, no matter how much I hate her." I gave a light smile like I normally do. "Now, I want to run a few experiments for today." "Kay." Master lead deeper into his lab. I saw a picture of that woman on a nearby desk. I picked it up and I tore it in half. "Your time will come soon, Rin!"

The tower, FL 2, Daytime

We were trudging through a heap load of sand, my feet were sinking in the sand every so often. The second floor was a desert, but not like the one outside where there was just ruined buildings and some sand, but like a real desert. "Damn, it's so cold!" It was like winter hit hard, everyone else seemed unfazed by it. "Why are you guys so, chill about this (no pun)!" "Heh, cold nights are pretty often back home," Ryota reminisced. "Must sucks," I said. "Nah, it's great, it makes for a good way to build heat and cold resistance." Ryota seemed pretty proud of that fact. "Guys, we should bunker down for the night, I don't like walking out in a vast area like this at night," Hana suggested. "She's right, we have no idea what enemies are out here," Hisoka added. "Kay, but how do we set up camp in all this sand?" I didn't really see any good places to rest, and the sand wasn't looking promising. "That's where my earth magic comes in," Hana boasted, pumping her chest forward. "Is it something to be proud of," Hisoka asked. "Oh shut up."

She put her hands on the sand, trying to bury them deep in. "You guys might want to move back quite a distance. The sand might cave in." With the warning, the rest of us walked a few yards away from her... I still had my eyes on her and so far, she wasn't sinking into the floor. The ground began to rumble, quaking uncontrollably. "Is this woman causing an earthquake!" Hisoka stabbed his sword into the floor to support himself. I saw something coming out of the ground, it was covering my view of Hana... After a few seconds later, the quaking stopped.

"Is she done?" "Hopefully, any longer and she would made the sand all around us cave in." Ryota has a point, I felt like my feet were sinking in deeper into the floor. "Th-th-that was scary," Ko stammered as he was shaking himself, sinking back into my bag.

"Okay, guys, you come back now," Hana waved us over, acting as if she didn't hear that humongous tremor...

...

The shelter Hana made for us was big enough for more thirteen-fifteen other people. Hana was fast asleep, said something about following her recommended hours of sleep. The other guys were still awake. Hisoka was hugging his sword and Ryota was just chilling against the wall. It was pretty quiet in here. I wasn't really concerned with that right now. I had a picture of Fuuka, Shizuka and me at the summer festival...

"...Can I see that?" Ryota asked as he sat right next to me to look at the picture as well. "Wow, they're beautiful." "Yeah, they are." Kimonos' tend to do that for women. "Hey, is that the girl you're here for?" Ryota pointed to Fu-chan. "Yeah, I'm here for her, well, you probably already knew that." "Yeah, I heard the radio broadcast. And at first, I didn't know why it was a big deal. Not that I'm saying that she doesn't matter! All lives matter of course, and um-" "*Chuckling*" "What, what so funny," he panickingly asked me. "Nothing funny, you just reminded me of how she used to act around me, stammering, panicking over what she said in fear of it coming off the wrong way. She was pretty shy back then too, still kind of is now..." Memories of the past few months came flooding into my mind. "But really, what I said wasn't everything that is to her. She's a kind girl, honest to a fault, modest, smart, and overall: a great person. A great person that I was lucky to have, a person that I might have failed." "What do you mean?" I fiddled my feet inside my shoes. "I don't know if I can save her. I don't know if I'm strong enough on my own to even be able to." Of course, I have Shadow-mog but without it, I stand no chance in this place; even with my Persona...

"So what, you're giving up, you want to leave the tower?" "I don't want to, god, I want to just rush this thing and save her! But my brain keeps saying that I won't win, it knows that if I tried to fight anyone of those guardians like Horkos, I'm screwed!" I don't want to abandon her, and if I can't save, then I might as well die. "You're thinking the wrong way." "Hm? What do you mean?" "I mean, you're thinking with the wrong thing. The brain isn't what you should use for your feelings." "Then what do I use?" He jabbed his thumb to his chest. "My heart?" "Yeah, only that can truly decide on what you need to do. When it comes to matters of emotion, the heart will always give us our answer, so stop thinking about it with your head and just use your heart..."

I placed my hand on my heart, I could feel it beating. I know about thinking with your heart, but I never really took the term too seriously, in fact, I think it's kind of stupid, but maybe it's not as farfetched as it sounds...

"Still though, I think in terms of strength, I'm inadequate," I commented. "Maybe your right. But strength isn't the only way to win in a fight." Ryota got up from the floor. "Come on outside for a moment." "Why for?" "I'm gonna show you how to fight. Bring your sword." He then walked out into the raging storm. As I was asked, I grabbed my sword and I rushed outside...

"Okay, I'm out here, what are you going to show me?" "Not gonna show anything, we're fighting!" Ryota made a beam greatsword. "W-wait, why for!?" He charged for me, holding his sword over his shoulder. He swung his sword vertically I ducked down, then I rolled back away from him. Just as I turned my head, I saw his sword darting for me, I dodged it by balancing myself on one knee. But my balance wasn't perfect, so I fell back on my back. I want to recoil back up, but I had a beam sword to my shoulder...

"Ahh." "Geez, that was actually pretty bad," Ryota pointed out, not holding back on my performance. "Well I didn't know were fighting nor did I know you were gonna throw a sword at me!" "You need to expect the unexpected in a battle. This is a basic principle for a soldier on the battlefield." He made another beam sword. "Come on, we're doing this again," he announced, taking a battle stance. "You gotta be kidding me, what's the point of this?" "The point is to bring out your hidden potential." "So attacking me is the way to get that potential out?" "Yep, some intense sparring session or two will help you at least build upon some type of skill. We'll be going at this all night." "All night, why the hell should I do that?"

Ryto stabbed his sword in the sand. "Listen, I know that it sounds like a pain, hell, continuously fighting for even one night straight is hard, but that hard work is what you need to go through to get stronger. If your weak and you have no talent for fighting, then you need to bring more than 100%, you need to bring 200% more!" "What if I-" Something hit my head quick and hard. "Ahhh! What the hell was that!?" "I was only doing what he was going to do."

He then took out his sword. "Now hurry up and get off from the ground." "You want to fight too?" "It's not like I want to, if we're gonna make a fraction better than you were earlier, than I'll help as well." "Why do you wanna help me? Thought you said I was a D-rank or whatever the hell?" "You still are, but if I were to raise that to C, it might up our chances on survival. I know this place is dangerous, going off by myself on the first floor was a poor choice, the reaper I fought was powerful and it was meant to take on people who were alone..." He took a stance. "Use your sword to block and attack, and you can only use your sword." "Um, okay..."

...

It was a couple of hours since we started this all night training session. I was beginning to handle my own against Ryota and Hisoka, but they were still beating me in the end...

"Hey, can we take a break, I kind of need it," I said in between short breaths. "Yeah, I guess working you ragged is a bad idea." Ryota let go of his sword and sat down on the sand. "What do ya say Hisoka, up for a break?" "Hmpf, I guess taking a short break won't hurt." Hisoka sheathed his sword and sat across from Ryota. "Finally, a break!" I dropped to the ground like a bag full of bricks.

"Stop looking at me, I don't like it when gorillas look at me." "I'm no damn gorilla, I'm a soldier!" "Since when?" "Since always!" Ryota grinded his teeth while Hisoka acted like he said nothing at all...

"So how do the two of you know each other," I asked, resting my head on my hand. "We known each other since we were kids. We were apart of the **desert hounds** at the time," Hisoka answered. "Oh yeah, I remember that day, you challenged me to a fight and I beat you by a mile." Hisoka pointed his finger at Ryota. "Wrong! I was the one who one that day. I put you in a sleeper hold, and in mere seconds you crying like a baby." "I-I don't remember that." "Yes you, after that, you begged me to never tell a soul, and just so you wouldn't cry again, I said I wouldn't." "Wait, did you tell anyone else?" "Of course I did." "What the hell, no wonder master was pissed at me that night." Master? "You have a master," I asked. "Of course I did. She was the best. She was the leader of the Desert hounds. She was strict but fair, she was hard as nails and was the best soldier I've ever seen..." He continued to go on about his master and the Desert hounds; DS for short. The DS was a paramilitary group that belonged to Mr. Arata (the guy with the camera). He would have them handle an array of different tasks: killing demons, study on the tower, and in general were used to one day become a strong unit that would invade the tower. And his master sounded like the "no-nonsense" type of person, but motherly towards her team. He made some of his experiences with her come off as hard, but fun in a certain way. Although, I didn't know if it was just me but when he was talking and even after he was done, there was this underlining sadness.

Ryota lifted himself off the floor. "That's enough of a break, let's continue." "Shame, I was enjoying talking about our wonderful youth." "Yeah right, you were gonna probably tell him about my crush on Pixie next, weren't you?" "I was, but now I don't need to." Ryota covered his mouth, cursing against his hands which came out muffled. "Heheh, wait, you have a crush on Pixie? As in the demon?" "Shut up, I was twelve!" "What happened, didn't work out," I asked, laughter following shortly after. "He asked her out one day. The second he asked it on a date, it said: I don't date runts." A burst of laughter came after that, Hisoka was giggling a little bit. "That wasn't funny, I was really hurt from that." "That's the funny part."

He spawned a sword, he swung it in front of our faces. "C-come on already! Let's just fight!" Hisoka got up from the floor, stretching his arms and legs. "Come on Kazuki, you're going up against me now," Hisoka told me. "Fine by me, I think my muscles are beginning to warm up to this! Besides, I need to prove that I'm at least worth a C-rank warrior." "You can try, but I won't make it easy for you I got up from the floor, buckling my sword next to my waste. I took the time to study Hisoka's stance. I buckled my knees down, I put my right hand on the hilt of my sword...

"Alright, are you guys ready," Ryota asked. We both nodded at him. "In that case, three, two, one...fight!"

The tower, FL:2, one day until execution 

By the time it was morning, the sun was beaming down on me, it's heat making me feel worse than I already am. The sweat was too much, I had to take off all my jackets and roll up my suit shirt's sleeves... I was trying desperately to catch some rest... I lifted myself up, still feeling drowsy.

"*Yawn* God, I feel lousy." "This is what you get for staying up all night," Ko told me. "Yeah...I guess." "So, are you done resting now? Everyone else is waiting." "Yeah, I know Ko. Let's get going." I picked up my bag and set out from the cave. My hands were killing me ever since last night, I think I had blisters on them. "Ko, can you heal this?" "Well, they're not wounds, but I can ease the pain." Ko went to work on healing my hands. I met up with everyone outside, Hana and Hisoka seeming to be dry out of patience. "Finally," she spat out. "Sorry, I was just a bit tired is all. Um, where's Ryota?" I looked around, I found him sleeping against the cave wall, snoring loudly... Hisoka was poking him with the butt of his sword on his face. "Hey, let me give it a swing, waking up boys requires a delicate touch..."

Hana crouched down in front of Ryota, she then tugged his ear. The second she did that, Ryota woke up, jumping up from the floor like he was a jack in the box.

"That hurt!" "For a warrior, you sure are a baby," Hana stated. "Doesn't mean I'm impervious to pain." While Ryota complained to Hana about his ear, Hisoka bumped me on my shoulder. "Take a look up there." I looked up at the sky, there were clouds circling around something. "What is that?" "I have no idea, but I think it might be where we need to go." "Will it be safe to travel there?" "Most likely, if there was gonna be a sandstorm, the wind would be blowing stronger right now, so I think we'll be fine for a time..."

I adjusted my bag a bit, trying to find a comfortable spot for my back. "Let's get going," I said, raising my voice to get the others attention. My hands were still feeling a bit sore, but I can now at least use them now...

...

We were kilometers away from the cave, we had been walking in the desert for nearly 39-40 minutes now. The sun was beating me with its heat. I was forced to wear my Gekkoukan jacket over my head, while it had little effect fending off the sun, it wasn't enough...

"So...hot. I think...I'm gonna pass out." "Chin up, it's not that bad," Hana jeered. "Are you kidding me, this more than summer heat, this is nightmare heat!" "Hm, what's summer?" "Yeah, I heard you say that word before, what is it?" Ryota and Hana asked, looking back at me with curiosity written on their faces. "Oh, well, summer is basically a season over a year. It becomes much hotter than it would be during any other season in the year, and honestly, it sucks. But during that time, we get one month off from school, so really, that's an even trade for dealing with the heat. Oh, also there's the summer festivals, those are the best parts. I used to go with my cousin to them all the time... Although, whenever he took me to one, people would stare at us, well, more at me than him..."

People would look at me like I was some sort of freak back then. I understand why now, but it was unfair, it unfair that I was the one who needed to be alienated. Even after all this time, even when I was accepted somewhere it still haunts me. You can say that I still hate that town.

"Sandstorm!" The sudden warning threw me out of my thoughts, forcing me back into reality. I saw a massive cloud of sand heading for us a breakneck speed. "Everyone, huddle together!" We all got together when the sandstorm hit. The sand was towards my face like tiny little pebbles. I could hear the wind howling as if it were a demon. "Damn, this storm is rough! I can barely see anything," Ryota muffled, he was covering his mouth and his eyes with one hand. "Kazuki-bro, you want me to help?" "Ko, don't come out, you just get sand in your eyes."

I squinted my eyes open just a tad bit to see... I saw something in the distance, a figure. The figure came closer and closer until I saw who it was. It was Fuuka." Her teal hair was a dead give away, she was still wearing her Gekkoukan outfit. "F...Fu-chan?" She retreated back into the storm. "Wait, don't go!" I ran after her, I heard the others calling me back, but I wasn't going back, not when I'm this close...

The tower, FL:?,?

I was waiting outside of the teal girl's cell... "Excuse me, M, sir!" "Yes, what is it?" "We confirmed that the target took the bait." "Good, you're dismissed." The rando soldier bowed before leaving... Well, guess it's time to handle my part of the deal. I opened the door to teal's cell...

"How are you doing, I hope your second day here was pleasant because tomorrow will be your final day here," I sneered, trying to get some rise out of her, but like Arisato, I'm getting the silent treatment. "Geez, you teenagers nowadays are too serious. You need to learn how to have some fun, life is short, you know..." She still didn't say anything, looking away from me and at a wall. "Fine, let's skip to the jokes and get to the good stuff." I walked over to the wall, I was able to see her face now. She was looking kind of pale than when I saw her last time, but not enough to be considered serious. She must've not been eating properly, or at all...

"Before we get to the main topic, tell me how far you got?" She looked at me with a confused look on her face. "What are you talking about." "You're a terrible liar..." I placed my hand on a small crack on the wall. "This cell is supposed to keep you from using your powers, actually, that's wrong. It's more or less stopping you from going past a certain radiance from the door. However, if this cell were to, I don't know, have a small crack in it, you'd be able to use your Persona to look around further from this whole palace and into the city, but you already did, didn't you?"

She turned her gaze away from, solidifying that she did. "So, again: how far did you get?" I saw her lips moving but I couldn't hear her. "Huh, what was that, couldn't hear you?" "I said I found the entrance to this world." Damn, she mapped this place out quickly. I only noticed she was doing this when I felt like I was being watched during my tussle with Arisato and that robed guy. It was faint but I felt something roaming around, searching around...

"You know, that's pretty impressive, but enough about that, today, I want you to answer a question: why did you choose to come here?" She still didn't respond. I was expecting that. "...Oh, you aren't gonna tell me." I slammed my hand on the wall, using my gravity to destroy the wall. "Huh?" "Come on, we're going for a little ride downtown, hope you don't mind a few hops in the air, teal..."


	46. Kei Kazuki vs Katsu Masaru -prelude

The tower, FL: ?, morning

I was sitting in silence, my room just as silent. I sat flat on my knees. If anyone were to see me, they would be thinking I'm praying, which isn't untrue but I ain't praying to god though. I got up from the ground, dusting off my pants. "Well, I'm off mother." Opening the door let in some cool air, it felt good. "Don't worry mother, I'll come back victories." I shut the door behind me gently, I didn't want to disturb the atmosphere here. After giving it a few seconds, I shifted gears. "All right Masaru, let's go," I told myself as I walked down the corridor...

The tower, FL: 2, morning, one day before the execution

"Hermes!" *bang* Iori's Persona zoomed towards the enemy. Its fist made contact with the white worm's side, shortly after, an explosion impacted against it, making the demon die off in one go...

"Another burnt worm, another victory for me," Iori celebrated. "Don't let your guard down, there are more of them." "And if more of them come back, I'll just burn them to bits." "Just make sure you kill them more quickly, we can't waste any time." This Nidhogger demon was a minor distraction from our present objective. I was trying to find the tracks we picked before. I don't know how old they are but they were something at the very least. There were four different tracks, can't say for certain that it belongs to the group Kazuki is with so we're heading in with uncertainty in the forefront of our heads...

"Shizuka-san, are they his tracks," Yuki asked me, crouching down to the ground. "I don't know, I don't want to throw the possibility out of the window, but plausibility is to be taken with a grain of salt." "So do we follow it?" Considering that there would be a zero percent chance of that infiltration team, odds of this actually leading us to them would be at least to a good 50% or maybe more. "We're going to continue to follow it." "Sounds good." Yuki got up from the floor, his legs buckled down for a moment. "Yuki, are you alright?" "Yes, I am fine, just a bit exhausted." Yuki might have been modest on his exhaustion. While we were scaling the first floor, I caught onto something: Yuki was pretty weak. It seemed he was still able to summon his Persona but it seemed like it was impossible for him to switch Personas, and to the matter of his original Persona, it's not really powerful but he should be able to handle small time enemies. However, his body is as weak as his Persona; I guess his Persona is evidence of that.

"Listen, how are you feeling now?" "I feel quite fine, even if I'm not, I have no choice but to keep going." He walked alongside the tracks, using his scabbard to help him walk. I heard he was able to use different Personas, I guess they did something to him while he was here, experimentation probably...

Following the tracks didn't lead us to anyone yet, the desert was vast, so who knows how long it'll take for us to find Kazuki.

"God, it's so hot," Iori vented, flapping his hat at himself. "I know, I think I'm going to drop dead," Takeba added on. "Just don't think about it, think of somewhere cool." The one place I could think of was the manga cafe with it's at least above average air conditioning. I remember Kazuki taking me there one time, it was such a foreign shop to me. Thinking back on it now, it was odd on my first visit...

9/6 Sun, Manga cafe, Port island strip mall, Morning

"Kazuki?" "Yeah?" "The protagonist in this book uninteresting." "I told you." "Furthermore, the fights in this are also anti-climatic." "Yep, you gonna have to expect that with that type of manga." "And there's also the matter of all the female character fawning over the main character. I don't get the main attraction to him other than his strength. It just makes no sense." "It's basically to self-insert yourself." "That sounds pretty boring." "It is." I had closed the manga, I put it back where I found it. "Is there anything better than that?" "Well...there are some pretty good shonens' that have good stories, let me go find some." Kazuki walked over to the shonen area. I continued to look around the area I was, trying to find something interesting. "Hm?" I saw something that caught my eye. I grabbed the manga in interest, the cover art was drawn in a style that makes it look like like a clear but messy painting of a character on the cover; it had the feeling of a tragic story was to unfold. "Interesting." I opened the manga and began reading...

"..." "Yo Shizuka, I found stuff that might interest you. Oh, what are you reading?" "..." "Um, Shizuka? You there?" I was entranced by the manga to the where I wasn't even responding to Kazuki. "Must be pretty good, let me read with you." He had knocked his head next to mine just so he can read the pages. As we continued to read the pages, the manga was already catching my attention with its main character. He wasn't as interesting in the beginning but that's what I found interesting about him. The author must've wanted us to get a glimpse of his average normal life, only for us to see the life he'll later lose.

As I kept reading, it got to the part where the protagonist's tragedy happens... I closed the book. "I'm buying this." "All right then, let's buy you a manga..."

The tower, FL:2,?

Remembering back at that time was...strange to me. It's strange since-

"Hm?" I sidestepped from where I was. In sheer seconds, 6 knives stuck into place, all of them lined up, not even an inch off. "Where the hell did those come from," Iori yelled as he was getting his sword ready. Takeba took out her bow and an arrow. I, on the other hand, picked up the knife. Upon inspection, I saw a familiar engraving on the handle of the knife. I used sensory ability to find our knife-wielding friend.

"Found you." I threw the knife at the enemy with lighting quick reflexes. "Nice dodge but you can come out now; it would be rather annoying if I need to keep throwing these to fight you." The enemy came behind from the humongous rib cage.

There were two enemies that stood out. They were wearing the same mask as me. Which means...

"Oh crap. Everyone, use your Personas on them if they get close to you!" Takeba and Iori surrounded Yuki. I took out the two swords I had resting on my waist. Two masks charged for me but they split when they were four feet in front of me. They reappeared behind me, just as I knew they would. I immediately turned around, slashing at the arms first. I got one of both of their arms. I tried to go for their heads but they moved out of the way. They drove the tip of their fingers at me. Their fingernails are sharp enough to rip through me in one go. I ducked down, I then slashed at both of their stomachs while moving away from them. I pulled out my Evoker, summoning my Persona. It had called down a bolt of lightning to vaporize the both of them...

"That was too easy." And it would've been had it not been for the enemies coming out of the dust cloud unscathed. What's more, they both kicked me with a great amount of force; I needed to stab both of my swords into the ground to stop my body from moving backwards. Their kicks literally knocked the air out of me, the area where I was hit was pounding heavily.

"Damn, I thought I had burned them to ashes." The two then proceeded to pick up their detached arms, putting them at the point of where they were cut off. They began to attach themselves back on...

"I guess this means I need to burn everything." I put my evoker to my head. *Bang* Thunder came crashing down on them. I can sense that they're still alive and I anticipated that, so I began to dash over to them. The Ziodyne attack was merely a diversion for them. I jumped towards them, spinning my body around along with the blades. "HYAAA!" *Slash* I had hit my mark, I had cut at the enemies' eyes, then, in a burst of a second, I cut both of their arms legs off, immobilizing them completely. There was still the risk of them being able to regenerate their bodies. "This time, I'll burn both of you to a crisp." I called down lightning one last time, this time, with enough force to destroy a building. When the lightning made contact, it made a clap-like impact, it was almost amazing. After that attack, I didn't feel them, they were destroyed.

"*Pant*" "*Pant*" That a lot more energy out of me more than I would've wanted... I looked over to the others, they seemed to have taken out their opponents as well. "Is everyone oka-" I felt an intense bloodlust coming straight at me. I blocked with both my swords. One of them broke after the attack, but I wouldn't have noticed that the enemy missed if my sword didn't break.

"Nice reflex, though, if I'm being honest, Shizu-chan, you've gotten a bit slower." I knew who that voice belonged to. "You didn't expect to see me any here, did you, Shizu-chan?" It was Ichirou. "Ah, I see you brought an ensemble of colorful people. Didn't think you would be able to score friends, that means you left me in the dust, **sister**." "Wait, huh," Iori fumbled on his words, dumbfounded. "A sister?" Makoto repeated what Ichirou said. I wasn't going to elucidate upon this because...

"*Chuckling*" Ichirou let out a childish laugh under her breath. Then, out of the blue, she let her childish laughter elevated to out loud laughter. "Hahahah, oh, oh man, I got you guys good didn't I?" She was laughing at her little joke as if she was a regular trickster.

"Huh?" "What's going on?" Iori and Takeba were utterly confused about the sudden turn of events. "She was messing with you all." "Th-that's right, I'm not her sister," Ichirou laughed in between her words. "I cannot believe that you guys fell for it. Oh, boy!" He kept laughing on for a little while longer until she finally started to calm down. "Okay, okay, I'm calm now...*Deep sigh*" She put her hands on her hips and peered over to me.

"Shizuka, I came here for you, master wants to see you; he was extremely upset when you left us you know." "You act as if I care. I don't desire to see him and you already know that." "Perhaps, I just thought if I told you'd consider it, but I guess that was dumb of me, huh?" "It was." I walked over to Ichirou, passing her without issue. "Shizuka, I won't let you go yet." She grabbed my arm, tightening her grip. "What are you doing, I thought we were done here," I asked her, trying to break out of her grip but it proved difficult, she's much stronger than before.

"We're done we I say we're done, and..." I heard a shot go off, and a shadow was overhead of us. It was Hermes. Ichirou caught the fist that was coming towards her. "So, there are other Persona users out there. This one, in particular, is cool looking but not impressive!" She slammed the Persona into the ground and so after, driving her fist through its chest, destroying it in one shot. "ARGGHHH!" Iori cried out in pain. "Now you pink, summon yours." When Takeba took her Evoker out, I jumped up to the air, I used my legs to get a hold on Ichirou's head, bring her down to the floor. *Thud* "Don't summon yet," I yelled to Takeba. "Oh my Shizuka, you're playing a bit rough, but I don't mind." She got back up to the floor despite the added weight to her head. "Go long Shizuka!" Ichirou threw me as if I was nothing, naturally, I landed on my feet.

"Iori are you alright?" "Yeah, I'm fine!" He slouching his back, using his sword to himself up. "Who the hell is this person?" "That doesn't matter, we just need to break through her." "Then what are we waiting for, let's get'em." Iori charged in with his Katan. "Wait for me!" Iori swung his sword at Ichirou but all she did was take a step to her left. He kept up his barrage, Ichirou kept moving back or to her sides. "As I said about your Persona: it looks cool but lacks strength. The same goes for you, you lack the skills for this gig!" She caught his blade. "Now it's time to put an end to this farce." She lifts him up to the air, then drags him back down to the ground with a force greater than what a human can handle. I had my Persona shoot lightning at Ichirou. With all her attention on Iori, it was able to make contact. Iori was laid out on the ground, taken back a bit from the sudden shock to him but its better than getting slammed to the ground.

"That was sneaky, very sneaky Shizu-chan," Ichirou criticized. "But that's what I expect out of you: hitting the unexpecting opponent. But let's not get into that now." "I'm not here for you, so I'm not gonna fight you." "But I'm not going to let you pass, so you have no choice but to fight me." "Actually, I don't need to. Not now at least." I put away my swords and I picked up Iori by his jacket. He was wobbling around but he was able to walk. "I'm not gonna fight you now Ichirou." I went up to her, looking down at her. "We'll settle this another time, but not now. But until then, tell that man he'll see me when I want him to." She let me pass her this time.

"Shizuka, are you really betting on your ginny pig to pull off this crazy stunt?" I just kept walking, not answering her question...

The tower, FL: 2, morning

Pant* *Pant* *Pant* I ran all the way here, carrying all this crap and running was a pain in the ass. When I stopped, I saw a giant case of steps. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me." "You're out of shape bro," Ko said. "No, I'm not, I'm just tired." I mean, I consider myself pretty fit, in fact, I'd say I have plenty of muscle, yeah! "Um, are we going up bro?" Huh, oh yeah. "Well, at least they're not big steps.

 _A few moments later_

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" I jumped up the last step like I was bed spring that suddenly got pressed down on. I was breathing heavier than when I was running here. "I-I hate this place so much right now." Those stairs we real torture. When I was done breathing all the air I can, I saw a road leading straight ahead. But more notably, the road had an overall grayish-white to it while it had these lined patterns that are golden-yellow. There were building (probably houses) that were acting as a wall for that whole road.

"Smell anything dangerous Ko." "I don't know, there is a smell but it's a pretty complicated smell." "Guess we'll have to see what it is." I walked down the way. It was, to say the least, a pretty long path. I reached the end of the path. There is was a fountain in the center of the two different paths. In front of me was an alter object up ahead from the fountain. And on that alter was her.

"Fuuka." I walked down over to her. "Kazuki-bro, her smell is weird." "What does that mean." "That means she has a scent of a demon, not human." "Could it be from her Persona?" "No, then it would be the same scent as you, or nearly identical." So it's probably a demon in disguise. I'd hate to admit he's right but if he says so then...

"Ko, are you sure, like one-hundred percent certain?" "Yes." "Okay then." I swallowed hard, knowing that my next move could be wrong. "Persona." Skeith rocketed over to her, a fist aiming for her. I heard the fist make an impact but, she was still standing there. "She caught the attack," Ko confirmed. **"Very impressive human, you were able to see through this disguise."** Her form began to change shape into something bigger, something that had a larger figure. The torse had six-packs on them, bigger than any I've seen. But it's head was the thing that stuck out the most. It had a minotaur on its head.

 **"I am the guardian of this dead city, Minotaur! Allow us to skip formalities and let us battle."** Minotaur threw my Persona into the fountain. It then jumped towards Skeith. I had him withdraw. The demon's attention was turned to me. It quickly threw its fist at me, and with some last-second reflex, I turned my body to dodge the attack. But this came at the cost of the attack ripping my bag open. "Shit." "Ugahhhh!" Ko was swinging by the torn pieces of the bag, trying to hold on as tightly as he could. I took the bag off. "Stay here, and keep protecting that box!" Ko nodded his head. "Persona!" Skeith punched the demon but the demon dodged and grabbed Skeith by the arm, pulling him forward and punching it.

"Ughh!" The damage was sent over to me. If felt like a whole was in my chest, and just from that one punch. Its strength was great.

"Okay then, let's crank this up a notch." My body was feeling good, the soreness through my whole body was gone. "Yep, I'd say this cuts it." With a second of relaxation, I reflexively switched on Shadow-mog. "Oh yeah, now that feels right." Now we were cooking with gas. **"You have an interesting aura coming from you now. No matter, that alone will not beat me."** Minotaur jumped into the air. "Not this time." I jumped to the air as well. I thrust my shoulder to its chest, stopping it in its tracks. I turned my body around so I could kick its face. It was sent crashing to the ground. I landed two seconds after it. And without delay, the demon shot out fire from its mouth. Being quick on the draw, I hastily jumped to the air. I was descending back down just as fast as I got up here. However, when I was, I spun my body while I stuck my right leg out. It had struck Minotaur's head, and in addition to that, shutting its mouth closed. And the second I landed I started punching it with my left hand. After enduring an onslaught of attacks, it caught my arm. It tried to retaliate by punching me but I caught it with my other hand.

 **"A stand off it seems."** "Not quite!" I lifted my feet up to his face. I pressed both of my feet against it. Its grip on me weakened. I got my hands freed and delivered two swift punches. I then grabbed it by the arm. I used all the strength in my body to toss this thing to the ground. I pined both of its arms on the ground with my feet. "Sorry about this." My fist was like a comet coming down to its face. Before I could hit it, the Minotaur's mouth opened, I thought it was going to shoot fire, but it didn't. Instead, it let out a roar that would be able to shake mountains. It was so loud enough to knock me away from it. I was rolling on the floor like a plastic bag rolling in the wind (okay, that was a weird one).

 **"Human, your strength is great. However, this battle has only begun and I intend to mingle in this battle just a little longer."** The Minotaur's muscles began to expand in size, air started to come out of his nostrils. "Kazuki-bro, he's charging up for an attack!" Crap, I can feel its power rising. This demon was ready to attack. "Labrys strike!" It whipped its head left and right. I saw something coming but I was too late to react to it. A cut suddenly appeared on my shoulder. I jumped to my left, another cut appeared on my leg. "Oni-Kagura!" It lung itself towards me, his horns colored red. I grabbed its horns but it just threw me with them. It then shot fire at me. I took off my hoodie before the fire hit and threw away from me. When the flames hit me the intensity of the flames were surreal, luckily, shadow-mog made it so that I won't have my skin damaged so easily by fire but it still hurt like hell. "Tch!" I took out my sword. "Ocean's stream!" I shot it at Minotaur who took it on. My body crashed to the ground, a bit of smoke coming off my body.

"Ow, that hurt like hell!" Seriously, I'm just lucky my hair is still in one piece and my clothes as well. **"Y-you! You broke my horn!"** Minotaur's horn was broken off in its hands. Wait, this could be my chance. I'm gonna end this in one last strike.

I heard Minotaur take a deep breath, it was getting ready to breathe fire again. And as expected, it spat out fire, but what I didn't expect was it letting out a loud ass roar again. It was louder than last time, I thought my eardrums were gonna burst. It was painful even after it was done; I felt like my head was gonna explode. My ears weren't the in the greatest shape but even I could hear a monstrous stomp when it's coming from in front of me. Minotaur was saying something but I couldn't hear him. All I know is that it was threw its fist at me, and I felt that it would be his most devastating strike. I needed to figure some way to dodge this attack at this distance or else I'm really gonna die.

Without thinking about doing, and it was like it was on autopilot, but my leg just suddenly lifted itself up and kicked the demon's wrist with a ridiculous amount of force. **"Huh!?"** The punch flew over my head, missing me by a couple of feet, yet, I still felt the pressure of the attack. And without warning, I quickly delivered a kick to Minotaur's face with the same amount of force I did with the wrist. I moved on to its leg. I simply pressed down on the demon's kneecap. **"ARRRGHHH,"** the demon let out a sharp cry as I crushed its kneecap. And for the final touch, I used my sword to slash down through Minotaur.

 **"*Gasping* I have been defeated, bested by a child. So be it, I have been taken out by a mighty warrior like yourself."** He began to crack apart until he split apart into pieces...

"*Pant* *Pant* *pant*" I dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. I turned off Shadow-mog, didn't want to waste it.

"Bro, did you beat it," Ko asked as he walking over to me with the metal box in hand. "Yeah, I beat it." "I knew you could do it. Also bro, can I check your body." "Go ahead doc." "Is that my nickname?" "I mean, I can't really shorten your name or anything, so Kid doc is kind of cool, right?" "Yeah, it's totally cool!" "Then you are hereby nicknamed: Kid doc!"

I could call him K, but then it would sound as if I'm saying my own name. Ko healed the slash wound on my leg and shoulder. Ko's healing magic was pretty strong, most of my wounds would be gone in an instant. I would have to say it's a step up from Yukari's (though hers isn't bad, it just Ko's is a bit more potent).

"Your skin is fine, just chard, but if you would've kept that jacket on it would've soaked most of the flames," Ko stated. "Yeah, that's true, if I kept the hoodie on it would've taken the damage. But it would've been burned to a crisp." I picked it up from the ground dusting it off and waving it around in the air. "This jacket is pretty special to me." I threw on the jacket on. I looked ahead, the giant object didn't seem too far off.

"We could go over there by ourselves, but I think we should get back with everyone else," I said, slinging my hands to the back of my head. If there was gonna be another guardian for this floor like there was with the first one, it would be better if I had a team to work with. I know I don't have all the time in the world right now but what Ko told me before was right, I shouldn't rush into danger half-cocked.

"Yo, Ko, we're gonna go find the other, okay?" "Okay, but what about your stuff?" Oh yeah. I glanced at my bag, the thing was torn to shreds. Anything that was in there (save the metal box Ko is holding) was destroyed. "Welp, at least there was nothing important in there." "No, I mean how am I supposed to be carried," Ko abruptly said. "You could walk." "But then my feet will burn off!" "You probably just don't want to walk." "No, I swear. If I walk on it, I'll probably sink in too." I don't think he was that short but it could probably happen...maybe.

"All right, I'll let you ride on my hoodie for a while longer, but after this floor, you're gonna start walking." "Deal." Ko climbed to my hood. I can feel the weight going to my shoulders. "*Sniff* *Sniff*" "What, smell something." "Yes, I smell something. It smells like you." "Um..." "I meant that they might have a Persona because they have the same scent as you. But it has something else to it..."

I heard something, something coming fast, something coming closer to us. Where is it coming from? "*Sniff*" Ko suddenly jerked his head up. "Something is coming at us from the sky!" I looked up, there was a blue object coming at an alarming rate. I ran away from my spot. When it was getting closer to the ground, I was able to make it out. It was a blue flame. When it hit the ground, the heat was so much that it was unbelievable. Minotaur's flames paled in comparison to this; it was like a bomb went off and the flames were the dust clouds made from it. The flames finally calmed down. Footsteps were echoing through, it was the only noise other than the crackling of the fire.

"Took you long enough to make it here, and I thought you were gonna keep me waiting." I knew that voice. "Katsu." "The one and only." We both didn't make any sudden movements, it was as if making one would be a fatal mistake...

"Hey," Katsu said. "Why you so tensed, we're not gonna duke it out here. We're going somewhere else more open." Katsu turned his head to his left and right. "Damn, you and that demon sure did tear through this area. It's cool though, not like this city was being used anyway." "What is this place then?" "It's like an obstacle course, it seems like it was used for something important but really, it's really just an area where **climbers** go to hide in the safe zone." "So this place is just a prop?" "Yep, of course. Really though, you can find some good loot here if you look through this place but it's whatever to me. Plus, the safe zones really aren't all that safe, the people in them call them that mainly cause they think they'll be able to keep themselves safe in there. But in reality, any demon as strong as Minotaur could break in there and kill them all, or I could." "Do they?" "Nah, only the small fry do, and it would be like hitting a child."

Katsu pointed his fist towards the giant pillar. "We'll fight there." "Isn't there a boss of this floor? Wouldn't it pretty inconvenient if I had to fight two enemies at once." "Yeah, I thought of that, so I did something about it." Katsu took out a key from his pocket, it was dangling from a lace that runned through it.

"You see, the boss monster always has a key on them. So you see, now we don't need to worry about a thing." He pocketed it and began to walk off over to the destroyed alter. "Come on, it'll be faster if you follow me." "Wait, I have other people with me." "I don't care about them, the only thing that matters is our fight. Besides, if they're strong enough, they'll come to the door by themselves. Now come on, we don't got all day."

Katsu jumped off the of where the altar was. There was something off with Katsu here. Out of the three times I've seen him. there was something different about him now; something more powerful. "Kazuki-bro, he's dangerous." "I know, but we don't have a choice, I need that key." I edged over to the end of the road, Katsu was waiting for me. Staring down here would be not as unnerving if I didn't feel this overall pressure on my back.

"(Okay Kei, you got this!)" I slapped my cheeks, trying to reaffirm my resolve, I need to do what my heart tells me;and it's saying to go.

"Let's go Ko." "O-okay."

...

"Okay, we're here." Katsu and I arrived at the place where we're gonna fight. "Alright now, who makes the first move," Katsu asked. "Guess it'll be me-" Out of the blue, there was a loud sound that echoed out loud. "Huh?" "What the hell was that?" "Umm..." I knew where the sound came from, from me. More specifically: my stomach.

"Was that...your stomach?" "Y-yes." This was so damn humiliating, we were having a serious tension-filled moment and my stomach ruined it. "You didn't eat anything," Katsu asked. "Yeah, all my food was in my bag, and before that got destroyed, all of it was gone." I glanced back at Ko who was trying to fain innocents.

"You aren't serious, are you?" "Sorry, but I really am dying of hunger here. You don't happen to have something, do you?" Katsu stared dumbfounded at me for a moment then he snickered to himself. "You're a pretty odd guy. Fine, I guess it can't be helped." Katsu went over to a pillar right next to me. It seemed like he was digging something up...

He presented a plastic bag in front of me. "Go on, take it. I promise it won't kill you." I took the bag from his hands, cautious, I opened the bag slowly. Inside was a plastic see-through box, and inside was some food. "Whoa! This looks so good! Are you sure I can have this?" "Yeah, no sense on fighting someone who isn't even able to muster up the energy to fight." I opened up the box, poking at the food with the fork that was inside. "If you're sure about this..." I dug into the food, tearing it apart with the fork.

"This is so good!" "Better be, I cooked the damn thing." "Wait, you can cook?" "Yeah, can't you?" "Yeah, but this beats mine out the water." I could do basic dishes but nothing this good. The way the sauce was poured on the pork was excellent, there wasn't too much, but enough. It helped enrich the flavor to high heaven.

"Yo Katsu?" "What?" "You're acting less mean." "What are you talking about?" "You know, you would either be throwing insults or just trying to be threatening." "Oh, I didn't notice." Katsu turned his head away from me. It was quiet, but I heard him say, _"Did I sound that dumb?"_ If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was trying to be scary.

"I have another question." "What?" "Why do you want to fight me so badly? What makes me special?" "Hmm... It's not that you're special, but rather because I haven't beaten you, so I need to defeat you. And no, I don't care about being the strongest person in the world so you don't have to worry about hearing about that from me." "So what? You're doing it for the sake of just not wanting to be defeated?" "No, but what's the point in telling you, it's not like it'll matter."

Katsu walked off ahead off ahead of me but stopped mid-way. "And Kazuki, why I'm acting a tad bit more serious. It's because I don't plan on underestimating you and screwing around, I plan on being serious about this fight; because this is my last chance."

I finished up my food. I threw the box on the floor. "I can agree with you on one thing: this battle should be taken seriously. I got someone to save so I can't screw around either. I plan to hit you with all I got!" "Good." I took out my sword from the scabbard. I threw away. I took a stance. All Katsu did was put his hands in his pocket. "Let's do this Kazuki, our last serious fight!"

The winds of the desert was the only thing that was making noise. My foot felt heavy, my hands tensed up. Why am I getting nervous, I've beaten this guy before, I can do it again.

"..."

"..."

That brief moment of silence, a moment that was one of the determining aspects to a showdown was finally ended after Ko sneezed. I rushed in towards Katsu. The battle had begun...

The tower, FL: 2, Prop city, morning

I followed the trail left behind chasing whatever he saw. When I entered the city, I saw someone walking about, so I thought about following them. There's also the note of the city being kind of weird on how it's designed. Most of the buildings were placed in such a way that it was pretty inclosed; almost like a maze. I had entered a building empty. There were no decorations or anything of note. But I saw the figure come in here, so where could they be hiding.

"Finally, we meet, at last, Ryota." "*Gasping*" This voice. It was clear, firm, but at the same time, it was soft. I didn't need to turn around to know who it was. "Master?" She said nothing, I saw the look on her face, it told me everything I ever needed to know.

"Master, you're here." "Yes, I am." She was wearing a white cap that was covering her whole body and the hood was lifted up. "Master." "Yes" Ryota?" Without thinking about anything else, threw my lift fist at her as hard and as fast as I could. She caught it with her left hand without any trouble whatsoever. The strength behind that punch would've destroyed anyone else, but not her. "WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO IT!?" She wasn't flinching or emoting, just standing there, holding my fist. "Is that what you came all the way here for, just to ask me that question?" "No, it was to kill you! But I wanna know why. Why did you kill all of our unit?"

She still remained silent. She pulled me over towards her by dragging my fist. She then placed her knee right for my guts. *thump* "UGH!" The hit made me want to puke. But that wasn't the end of it. I tried to retaliate but she just grabbed the fist I aimed at her by grabbing it with the other hand.

"Is this the best you got." I was going to rebuttal but before I could, she let go of my fist just so she can land some blows of her own. It was two swift palm strikes to my face followed up by two other strikes, one to my stomach the other to my chin. She then slammed me down to the ground with hand on my neck. My back was in pain of all things. She hadn't lost her touch. She stepped away from; she was inviting me to get back up. And to nobodies surprise, I got up. "Master, this weapon is for you." I clapped my hands together to summon an energy weapon, or rather, several. I summoned knives to my hand. I threw them at her, and she dodged them by ducking and striding. I kept throwing them at her until I caught her by throwing two different pairs at her from below and over her. It seemed as if she was trapped. And without wasting time, I summoned the bastard sword, vertically dragging it down towards her. "It's over!" I had trapped her in one position, a position that would be advantage worthy for me. So why, why was she still able to close the distance in the blink of an eye. No, how and why did I underestimate her skills? I thought I had her trapped but no, she had me cornered. She was able to escape my trap by shifting her body and pressing against the wall behind her, but she did it in a way where she would be able to get on her feet once she wanted to. And as for me, she swiftly and gracefully disarmed me by separating my hands. She then grabbed my arm. And not before long, she brought down her other arm's elbow on my arm, breaking it.

"ARRRGGGHHH!" I grabbed my broken arm as I was yelling and squirm from the pain. "Ryota, this fight is over, and so is your mission." Master dropped something. It was a key. "Take that, it let you out of the tower." "W-what?" "I'm saying go home Ryota. In your current state, you'll just die here." "No, I won't." It was difficult to speak with all this pain in my mind. "I won't stop, I won't run from you. I promised myself that I would one day kill you, that I would avenge my fallen comrades. And even with this broken arm, I'll still beat you, so you can take your key back!"

Master sighed to herself. "I see, so this is your resolve, is it?" "Yes!" "But what about your feelings, are you showing all the feelings that you want to convey to me?" "What?" She got down on her legs and placed her gaze onto me. Her eyes...sky blue, her eyes were always so clear, almost like the blue sky I used to see in books.

"Ryota, you have the strength but you lack something else that all real soldiers have." "What I lack? What are you talking about?" She closed her eyes and got up from the ground. "That is something you must discover on your own because it is something only you can figure out." As she walked away from me, she stopped to say one last thing. "I'll be waiting for you at the last floor of this tower, and when we fight I want you to know your true feelings and gain what real soldiers have." "And if I don't?" "Then you will never be able to fulfill your mission." And with that, she walked out on me. I was left lying on the ground, beaten and broke. "(Echoing) Ryota!" Hisoka, I wonder where he was. Sounds like he wasn't far from me. Goof, I'll just rest here for a while. No, I had to go after her! Try as I might, I wasn't able to lift myself up, I just felt weak...

"Ryota, what the hell happened to you!?" Hisoka was in the building now, yelling for answers. I wanted to answer him but I felt weak from the pain. "Hey, stay with me, don't you dare drift off to sleep. All that yelling wasn't gonna help. Without even trying to fight it anymore, I shut my eyes closed. The last thought or rather image on my mind before I lost consciousness was master and the rest of the Desert Hound unit...


	47. Kazuki vs Katsu part 1

The tower, FL: 2, morning, one day before the execution

The first strike came from me. The loud strike on Katsu showed he was using is buff ability. "Hm, did you put on a little muscle?" "Yeah." "Well, it ain't gonna do ya any good!" Katsu raised up the leg he was blocking my sword with and pressed it down to the ground. He then did a roundhouse kick fo my face. "ARHH!" "Not done yet." He then shot up with his knee trained to my head. I caught it with my right hand. "Skeith!" "Prometheus!" The two Personas clashed. Skeith slipped his hand towards Katsu and chucked him away from me. But that gave his an opening to deal damage to Skeith. The damage wasn't much so I can consider it to be a slow start up for him.

"Hey, Kazuki, wanna see who's Persona is stronger? Don't worry, this'll only be for a moment." "Fine then, Skeith go!" "Prometheus!" Once again. the two Personas locked hands, trying to outdo the other. Skeith was pushing back more and more. "Skeith, now!" Skeith pushed Prometheus away just so he can do Gigantic fist. Katsu wasn't startled or concerned, he was pretty calm about all of this. Just as my attack was gonna land Katsu's Persona redirected the attack. It then punched Skeith's face. "Shit!" That hurt like a bitch but it wasn't enough. "Skeith, go wild!" Skeith began punching wildly with his fists acting as if they were bullets from a machine gun. Katsu had his Persona block the attacks. In this time, if I attack Katsu now, I should be able to do it without his Persona getting in the way or his flames coming out. With this thought in mind, I ran over towards him. "Smart move." He dodged the first attack and most of the other ones. "Kazuki, can I ask you something?" "Now, while I'm attacking you!?" "Why not?" This guy is unbelievable. "What's the question?" "How do you see yourself winning this?" "Hm?" "Cause as it stands now, you're trying to fight me without killing me, and your skills with that sword are lackluster." He dodged an attack before he hit me three times with his feet.

"If I wanted to, you'd be on the ground right about now," Katsu gloated. "Then do it!" "If that's what you want, then fine." Before I was able to strike him he quickly landed a couple of punches on me. They were well placed, and I can tell because it mixed me up quite a bit. He then followed up with sweeping my feet and with perfect timing, he kneed me. "Hey, you asked for me to go harder on you." "Guess I should've bitten my tongue on that one."

Come on Kazuki, you need to do better than this. Don't be afraid to hit him with the sword. Wait, I could just hit him with the back of the sword. Okay then, all I need to do now is just to focus, but that's kind of hard in itself because I'm focusing to keep Skeith out. "Come on Kazuki, stop stalling." Guess I've been taking up a bit too much time thinking. Plus, overthinking this isn't going to help me now. The next course of action would be to rush him down, a plan that was already initiated when I was running over to him. This time, I knew he was going to just dodge my attack, so I needed to keep him guessing. When it seemed like I was going to strike with my sword coming up, I swung my sword from the ground, dragging up sand from the ground.

"What the hell!?" With the distraction working its magic I slashed down on Katsu's shoulder with the back part of the blade. I heard from Shizuka that if you want to cause some damage to a human opponent with the back of the blade, you need to hit the shoulder; she also said it's not the end-all and be-all but the results of the attack are good, and the results of the attack didn't disappoint. I then went for his legs.

"You bastard!" He tried to kick me but I was able to block it. An opening appeared and I was quick on the uptake. I slipped my sword away from block his leg just so it can hit his neck. He gaged upon the hit. I then just punched him left and right, randomly without rhyme or rhythm. I threw one last punch but he tilted his head and then grabbed my arm with both his hands. He threw me. "Suck on this." Katsu formed something in his hands, it was a fireball. He threw it at me. I was able to narrowly dodge it. The attack hit one of the pillars behind me.

"What was that?" "It was my fire, idiot." "No, you shouldn't be able to do that. Your Persona is still fighting mine." I saw then still duking it out. His persona was getting the upper hand on mine but Skeith was still in it. "Well Kazuki, here's the thing: I can use my flames on my own even with my Persona being out." Is this so sort of special ability he has with his Persona. "Kazuki, now it's time for you to dance." Katsu made and threw two more fireballs. If I knew any better, if my body makes contact with them, I'll be dead. I swan dived to dodge the first two. There was another one coming from below and fast. I rolled myself forward. The blast went off near me. I was sent rolling even further. "Better keep dodging Kazuki!"

He began to make fireballs as soon as he threw them just to throw them. I couldn't catch a moment to breathe.

"This must suck, huh? About to be beaten by someone who you defeated already, and brutally, I might add." Damnit, I can't get anywhere near him now without him shooting at me. He can defend himself with his flames just fine without his Persona... Hmm, now that think about it, can I do the same for Ocean's stream? I mean, I was never able to use it for Skeith, so maybe it just comes from me.

Boom* I felt an explosive force behind me. His attacks were beginning to break the pillar behind me. I needed to speed this up a little. I did what I normally did to do Ocean's stream. All I could hear was explosions getting closer and closer to me... I was trying to calm myself but it was a bit unnerving due to the fact that if this doesn't work then he'll have free reign to shoot me full of fiery-filled holes. But I didn't have much choice here. "Now with the final burst, die!" Katsu shouted out as he shot his flames at me one last time. I as I heard the crackling of the flames coming closer I felt my energy heading to my sword. I got it! "Ocean's Stream!" I vertically slashed. It tore through the pillar and clashed with the fireball behind it. The two attacks exploded upon impact. "What the hell was that?" Katsu seemed surprised by me using Ocean's Stream. Speaking of using it, I'm not tired from using it. "Maybe it's because I used a smaller portion of my _SP_ for the attack. And if so..."

"Okay then... Let's see what we can do," I told myself. I rushed over towards Katsu who was gearing up for a counterattack. Before he could attack, I launched another Ocean's Stream attack but this time it acted as a curve that was probably 1 to 2 inches away from the blade. Katsu dodged just in the nick of time, but he was still not out of the woods yet. "Ocean's Stream!" I sent out a saucer that was aimed at Katsu.

"You think you're creative, watch this!" He formed small flames at the tip of his fingers. He then threw them to the ground. They began to trail over to me. When they were 3 inches near me they shot out at me. They were like spiked flames. "Kazuki, ever since our last fight I've been carefully studying you. Every move you have for you Persona I know; your skill with a sword, I know, even that skill, I know about." "What's your point?" "My point..." When I threw another Ocean's stream saucer (I gotta dumb that down) he simply applied flames to his arms and split the attack in half. "...That's my point. You might've have power, but experience and true skill, you don't have a shred of it!" He was beginning to charge up for another attack. "Kazuki-bro, he's charging up for an attack." "You stay out of this, you brat," Katsu threatened. "If you interfere, I'll burn you to a crisp." "Katsu, don't you dare touch him, this between me and you!" "Oh, I know that. That's why I told him to stay out of it." He reeled his arm back like he was going to be throwing a ball.

"Try to dodge this, if you can." He threw the fireball at me. It then began to grow in size more and more until it was towering over me. The heat emitting from it was ridiculous.

"Katsu, you're right." I charged up for a big. "I don't have the same skill as Shizuka does or the experience like you and her have..." I ran towards the flame. Right before the flames came to close I withdrew my Persona and summoned it again so I can have it launch me over the attack. "...And if that's the case." "Tch, Prometheus!" He summoned his Persona but I had Skeith intercept it, knocking it out of my way. "...I'll just fight harder than you two!" Katsu tried to aim some fire at me, but I already launched my Ocean's Stream. He was caught in the attack. The attack went crashing through a couple of pillars behind it. The attack had dispersed, the ground was divided and the pillars were cracked in halves. I didn't know if Katsu was still alive or not, hopefully, I didn't kill him.

"*Chuckling*" I heard chuckling. He was still alive. He continued to chuckle on until it turned into all-out laughter... He slowly made his way here. "That's was pretty good Kazuki, that was pretty good." He patted himself off. "Katsu, you should probably stand down now; if I hit you one last time, it'll definitely kill you." "No it won't and you wouldn't kill me, I know your type: get's along with everyone. too nice for his own damn good, has no real reason to fight." "Excuse me?" "It's like I said, you have no reason to fight." "I do, I got-" "What, for your friends? For that girl? Those are the lamest reasons." Katsu was still walking over to me. "That type of motive is empty and hollow, just an excuse to say you have a reason to fight. In the end, it's nothing but an illusion."

Empty? "That makes no sense, it's not empty." "Really now... Eh, I guess it doesn't matter now..." Katsu extended his arm out. "Hey, how about we elevate this to the next level. Let's stop holding back." " You've been holding back," I asked Katsu. "Yeah, I thought we should see if we could be able to escalate it this far, and don't act dumb, I know about that other ability you have." He wants me to use Shadow-mog on him. But if I do that, it'll be no contest at all; I might kill him with it. "No, I'm not gonna do it Katsu." "Fine then, then I'll make you!"

Katsu's flames came out. They were surrounding him, violently moving around him. They were covering his whole body. "What the heck?" The flames built up to more and more until Katsu pushed them away from himself... "Now, are gonna take this seriously?" When the sand cleared, I was able to get a better look at him. Something was going on, my head was ringing like crazy, like it was reacting to something. "You feel it too, don't you," Katsu said clenching his head with one hand. "Feel what," I had asked him. "Our powers are reacting to each other. They call it **Mogrification tuning**." What, why is this happening to us. Wait, Mogrification? No, it can't be. "Katsu, are you using Shadow-" "...Mogrification, yes, I am."

Now it was all clear, this sense was telling me that Katsu was a Shadow-mog user. "How the hell did you get it!?" "Who cares, that's not important. Now, fight me for real Kazuki!" He sent out a blast to the ground below him, sending him flying into the and towards me. "Transform now damnit!" He was right, I didn't have a choice. I used Shadow-mog. "Now we're talking." I dodged out of Katus' line of attack but he just flung a fireball at me. I stabbed my sword into the ground. The fireball was split into halves. "Was that it, you're gonna have to do a lot better than that Katsu!" Just as I said that something hit me on my back. "Gah!" "You should never let your guard down." A bigger one came out off of his flames gauntlets. It fast approaching me. I used an Ocean's Stream attack to block it.

"That was awesome, am I right," Katsu bragged. "Yeah, it was spectacular." "Really, I was thinking that it was pretty minor. guess I'm underestimating myself." Whether he is or not, one thing is clear: he can control his flames better than before. And to the pile, it seems like his magic increased. Now caution was more than necessary, not only because he's stronger, but because I never fought a Shadow-mog user before...

...

"Welp, here we are. Center stage in today's fight." The hooded man dropped us on a pillar that was high enough to make me feel dizzy just from looking down. "Mind your step, wouldn't want any unfortunate accidents. Okay, even if you do go over the edge you won't fall, so it's whatever. Anyway, look over there." I was trying to spot what the hooded man wanted me to see. "I can't see anything," I bluntly told him. "Oh come on, you're not trying. Use your Persona." As he told me, I used Lucia. I zoomed in from where I was to get a better look. "*Gasp*" "Gonna guess you saw him." I saw Kazuki down there. He was fighting someone else down there. There was something strange going on with the both of them; a strange presence was wrapped around them. it felt intense and powerful.

"Right now, Kazuki needs to defeat Mr. Masaru to advance to the next floor to save you. Funny thing is, you're right here." He was struggling against his opponent. I need to help him. "Kazu-" Something wrapped itself my neck. I wasn't able to say a word. "This is their fight and a very good one I might add. So if you speak a single word I'll make sure I crush your throat." I felt the force around my neck tightening. It was painful, talking would prove just as painful. Even so...

"Ka...zu...ki." "My word, doesn't that hurt?" "It...hurts... Even...so... I will." The hold on my neck was gone. "You are one tough girl despite your looks." I was taking in large intakes of air. "This tells me a lot about you, and it might actually have figured out why you came here without a struggle. And I mean, it should've been obvious." Just before he spoke another word the battle down there was raging on harder. "Oh crap, I almost forgot this was going on." The hooded man sat down on the edge of the pillar. "Let's watch this now."

...

I repealed Katsu's attack with my sword. Its been a minute since he used Shadow-mog. Every blow that we exchanged was either blocked or dodged. "If we keep going like this we'll be fighting forever." Fire began to form around his arms and legs. They then took form, the form of animal's claws and feet; like a cheetah or something. Katsu took a stance crouching down, pressing his feet into the ground. "Here I come," Katsu declared. He then disappeared after shooting up from the ground. "Where the hell did he go!?" I couldn't see him at all now. I getting tense from the possibility of getting ambushed.

"Hey." I heard him from behind me. I turned around to find nobody. "What are you looking at?"I heard him behind me again and still nothing. "What's the matter, can't you see me!" He was taunting me from the distance now.

"Come on Kazuki, take some crack shots why don't you." He was taunting me left and right, it was like he was coming from everywhere now. "Hey, about you come back down here and fight me!" This was getting ridiculous and annoying. "You're right, I guess I was getting too excited about the wrong thing." He suddenly appeared before me. Katsu delivered a couple of lightning quick punches. "I should be excited about using my speed on you." I revered griped my sword and swiped it towards him. He ducked down. "Gotcha!" He blasted me with a strong fire blast. The attack sent me flying. Something abruptly stopped me. It was a hard kick to the gut. The kick was hard enough to launch me up to the air. I was a bit disoriented because of how fast this transition was. Then I felt a hard punch to the face, then another and another. It was an unrelenting barrage of punches and kicks. I couldn't do anything...

"This is pathetic, come on, do something." I was trying to do something. Katsu had stopped moving around and just went straight for the sky and began to descend like a comet. "Oh shit." I shot an Ocean's Stream at him but he rammed right through it. "RAAHHHHHH!" His fist smashed into my stomach. I felt this sharp and overwhelming pain jerking at me. I spazzed out in pain and spat blood from my mouth.

*Crash* I was slammed to the ground, The shock from Katsu's attack and landing hard on the ground was nothing short from excruciating. My body wasn't responding right.

"How was that Kazuki, was that enough for you?" I couldn't respond, I needed to keep all the energy I have. "This is the strength that I was aiming for. While you were having fun and pretending to live a normal life, I was getting stronger. And this is the result of it, this is my strength!" What the hell does it matter what I do? "...And for some reason, I hate this power." Katsu grasped his arm. "I hate... I hate it so much." What he said bewildered me. How can you hate your own power? "In a way, I envy you. You seem to enjoy using this ability. And believe me, I get why."

I got back up from the floor when I had enough energy to. Wasting no time at all, I shot an Ocean's stream at him, but he dodged it and landed a blow on me immediately after. This was ridiculous, I need to find a way to stop him or he'll tire me out like this. I needed to focus, I need to find him...

*Thumb* "Hm?" I thought that I just heard a footstep. More importantly, it came from behind me. I kept hearing his footsteps, they were heavy and louder than a bag of bricks hitting the sand. He kept moving until he finally decided to attack me, and that's when my opportunity arose. His footsteps and the sand he was lifting up from the ground was working against him I knew where he was; he was next to me!

I bent my back and jumped from where I was. Katsu round housed open air. "Tch!" "I got you!" I flung a wide Ocean's Stream attack. The attack made impact without Katsu blocking. The attack didn't travel too far but I wasn't expecting it to do the job, so I tossed two saucer streams (just came up with that, nice). He shot fireballs at them, blowing the both of them. But they were just to help me get close, my real attack was to strike Katsu while having storing up Stream energy. When he noticed that I was close enough to strike it was too late. I slammed my attack on his shoulder. The almighty energy was leaking out from the sword when the attack connected. I took this time to make several other strikes against Katsu. I lashed at his leg and sides. He tried to retaliate but I dodged his attack and I hit him under his chin with the butt of my sword. He clenched his teeth tightly. He then disappeared again. He wasted no time playing around with me and just straight for the kill. But he wasn't going to get the better of me; this time, I can see him clearly. I grabbed his flame embedded arm, stopping him dead in his tracks.

"What!? How were you able to stop me now?" "Before, I couldn't see you because you were moving faster than I can see and keep up with. However, I can see now, so..." I dragged him towards me, delivering a punch to the face. And just like he did, I disappeared in front of only to reappear to strike him hard. "You are not pulling my trick on me!" Katus gave chase after me. We were moving faster than anyone could see. Trading blows with one another, yet none of them went through. My next blow shook up Katsu. He was going to run away again but I stomped on his foot to keep him still. Then I hit him with the butt of the sword again. He was shaken up by the attack. I also took a handful of sand and threw it in his face, obscuring his vision. And to top it all off I charged my sword up, it was brimming with explosive almighty energy. I stabbed my sword into the floor, releasing the almighty energy. "Explosive Ocean!" The almighty energy exploded around us like it was a gusher of water coming from a fire hydrant. It absorbed Katsu into it. I felt the blast's power; it felt as if it was a regular explosion went off except it wasn't hot. It was dark on the inside of this place, allowing no light inside. It felt as if I was inside the belly of the beast. The darkness began to unravel and I was on the outside of it. I was able to see the damage from my attack. It was immense. Katsu was laid out on the floor, albeit trying to get back on his feet.

"That was one hell of an attack, that was pretty good." Flames formed at both his arms. "Let's see you deal with this." He threw the two lined flames. They began to form creatures. They were dragons. "Shit!" I got out of the way. I was running away from the dragons who were smashing pillars just to catch me. Both of them were heading me off from multiple directions; there were times I almost got hit by one. Nonetheless, I just need to him Katsu with another Explosion attack and he's mine. I ran back to Katsu who was busy manifesting his dragons, so he won't notice me. I jumped to the air to go unnoticed by him. I was closing in on him until...

His leg jerked backward where I was at. It was trained towards my gut. It had connected, leaving me in a stunned. He then roundhouse kicked me. I was skipping against the ground a pebble on a pond. I stopped my momentum with my sword just in time to see the flame dragons coming for me. I jumped up a pillar and the other ones surrounding it. "You're not getting away from me, damn it." Katus boosted himself up the pillar with his flames. He shot his flames at me like they were bullets. I was swiping them away with my sword.

"Now this is more like it!" He threw a bigger fireball, and I cut it down with a Saucer Stream. He came at me with his Panther claws. His attacks were swift, they weren't staggering or anything, they were quick and to the point. But I was able to counter him, no matter what he did. The pillar was spacious but not enough for an all-out brawl, so I jumped to another pillar but Katsu followed me and tried fighting me mid-jump. It was a bit touch and go but I was able to kick him from me. He landed on another pillar.

"This isn't over yet Kazuki." "Then bring it Katsu!" Flames were circulating around his arm, it was building up more than it was before. I began charging up an Ocean's Stream that was bigger than I would normally use. This one was gonna be the one to do it...

Katsu jumped three pillars back and then boosted himself to the air. "Let's end this, let's determine who is the strongest." "You think I care about that crap?" I could feel all of the energy in my body rising to critical levels, and his rising there too. This one instance could be the deciding factor in this battle... Then, as if my body told me to do so, I stomped my foot on the ground as I was swinging my sword at Katsu. He shot his attack as if his arm was a cannon. We both yelled out our attack names. " **Ocean's Stream!" "True Agidyne!"** The two attacks clashed. a streak of white and blue mix together. It had looked like they were trying to mix together to make something, something explosive. The attacks were expanding wider and wider. More and more until the attacks went critical. They were about to explode and I knew I needed to run but when I was about to I caught a glimpse of something far off in the distance. Someone was standing behind me but I couldn't tell who. And without realizing it, I was caught in the energy explosion...

...

We had finally reached the door to the next floor but upon arrival, I sensed a large burst of energy. Now I knew what the cause was. "What's the bright light," Iori asked. "I don't know but it has two powerful energy signals to it." "So it's a fight that's goin' on!?" "Possibly." Yuki walked forward towards the clashing of power. "Where are you going, Makoto," Yukari yelled. "Let's go see who's fighting." He continued to run off forward and Yukari went with him. "He's insane," Junpei expressed. "Might as well see who's fighting. It might be Kei." "Hm?" "What, did I say something weird?" "No, it's just...you never called Kazuki 'Kei'." Yuki pointed out. "Oh, I guess it was the slip of the tongue. It doesn't matter, does it?" "No, it's just a little interesting observation." I don't see how it's an "interesting observation". Really, it was a slip of the tongue...

...

The hooded man was blocking the blast with his abilities. It almost seemed like he was struggling, but yet, he was cackling to himself. "YESSS! This it, this the awesome fight I wanna see! More boys, show me more!" He was cheering on for the fight to become more intense, to get more violent. I needed to stop this but how.

"I'm going to stop this," I told the hooded man. "Wow, a pretty bold claim. Why tell me?" "Because I won't let you scare me. I'll save his life even if it means losing mine. So, you can crush my throat after I'm done telling him what I need to say." Silence prevailed on top of this pillar... I thought he was going to kill me now, but something else entirely happened.

"You're more interesting than I thought. I guess that's what they mean when they say don't judge a book by its cover. Well, for human's at least, real books are better off being judged by their covers, y-you now what, that doesn't matter right now."

He had two of his fingers up. "Two minutes, that's how long you have to say what you want to say to him. After that, you'll be quiet for the rest of this. Well, if he's alive that is..."

...

Everything in my body was aching and throbbing. The blast did damage to me but the fall was the killer. I was fortunate enough to be in Shadow-mog but it was still excruciating. If Katsu was caught in that blast, then I'll take a guess and assume he's as injured. I getting up proved to be difficult, summoning my Persona wasn't going to be happening any time soon...

"Hm?" I heard soft footsteps against the sand, They were getting louder in intensity. No, I knew who they belonged to. "Y-you, get up, we're not done yet." Katsu was standing in front of me, bleeding from his arms and forehead.

"I said get up, or else I'll kill you here and now." This was bad, I couldn't get up, my feet just can't take it anymore. Damn it, this is bad, very bad! Out of the blue, I felt this nostalgic feeling in my head. I knew this feeling, this warm feeling. _"Kazuki, can you hear me?" "Fuuka? Are...are you the real one?" "Mhm, it's me Kazuki-kun."_ Her voice felt genuine, it felt calm and soothing. It was only two days but I started to tear up from hearing it, knowing that I am talking to the real one. _"Fuu-chan, oh my god, it's really you. I-I-I..."_ I couldn't get the next words out of my mouth, I couldn't even fumble them.

 _"Kazuki-kun, can you listen to what I have to say?" "*Sniff* What is it?" "I... I want you to abandon me."_

* * *

Okay, hello everyone, Saga here. Now, I wanted to say that I'm probably getting back it to the swing of things, so chapters might be uploaded more consistently now (I think). I also didn't put an author notes thing at the end of the last chapter mainly because I didn't want to say anything until I uploaded this chapter in the nearly a not-so-late timespan. And since I was able to do that, here we are. Originally, I was going to make this 3,000 words and that's it, but I felt that would destroy the pacing of the fight. I think it was going to be right around where Kazuki was getting the edge in the fight. I also was going to give focus to Hisoka, Ryota, and Hana, but I didn't see where I could place where I could fit a section in for them, and I didn't want to put in the end since it would've felt like I was trying to pad out the chapter, so I'm gonna have to put some time in for them in the next chapter.

With that out of the way, I have nothing else to say. I just hope to be able to pump out the next chapter within the next week or two. So until then; see ya.

...

P.S. I just watched A Silent Voice, it was pretty damn great, actually made me feel bad for the MC and Shouko. And I was also watching March comes in like a lion: it's a really great anime so far, I like Kiriyama as a character and his journey through his own emotion and situations. And I also like that most of the side characters aren't just there, they feel real and like actual people with their own problems and emotional struggles. Yep, that's about it...


	48. Kazuki vs Katsu part 2 (conclusion)

"H-huh?" The utter shock I felt when she told me those words, "abandon me". " Hey, what are you talking about, Fu-chan?" "Hey, quit talking to yourself!" Katsu came running at me, his leg trained for my chest but I was too worn to even dodge it. The kick hit me in my chest, knocking most of the air out of my body. "Come on, what's the matter. Get up." Katsu fumbled the words out of his mouth in between breaths. I wanted to get up but my legs and arms were numb. "Persona!" I tried summoning but nothing was happening. "Come on, come out!" "...You're too damaged to summon now, and even if you were you're too weak; it would probably kill you." Shit, I was too exhausted to summon, too tired to even move. The same could be said for Katsu though, he looked pretty banged up too.

"If you're standing Katsu, why don't you summon yours?" He placed his hand on his face to hide the expression on it. "That's the thing, I can't. I don't know why but I can't feel it in me anymore." "What do you mean," I asked edging on to the question. "I mean, I can't feel it anywhere in me. Almost like it's..." "...Gone." We both reached the same conclusion: his Persona was no more, it was gone. "What the hell, why is this happening?" Hell if I know, I'm just as confused as you are. "That means...I lost all my power. All of it, and it's your fault!" Katsu grabbed me by the shirt and began beating me with his fists. "You bastard, all my power, all of it is gone, because of you!" Kept on going, bashing my face with his fists. It too unbearable to endure; the pure rage his fists were enough to put a regular guy down. Since my Persona gives me heightened physical attributes I was able to withstand most of the blow and stay conscious. But depending on how you see this, that could be considered unfortunate. As he went on with his onslaught I tried to must the energy to defend myself.

"Come on Kazuki, what's the matter, gonna just let me beat you to death!?" No, no I wasn't! I moved my leg with everything I had and pushed him off me with the ounce of strength I have left! "Still got some in you, huh?" Some is an overstatement. What was left was nothing more than a smidge bit. Nonetheless, I need to get up or else I'll just die. So, against the wishes of my legs, I got up. Wobbling wouldn't even cover what my legs are doing. "That's right, get up, this wouldn't be half as great if I had beaten you to death while on the floor." He came at me with his fist aimed to my face. I dodged it only for him to hit me in the stomach with his knee. I coughed out saliva. His attack was crushing to my weak body. I pushed him away from me again. I didn't have the strength to fight back.

"Are you tired already, wanna give up!" "No...just needed some space." Healing is what I need. But the badge is destroyed and if Ko comes anywhere near here, he'll...

"Bro!" "What in the hell?" Ko was running over here from behind Katsu. "What did I say before about getting in the way!" Katus steered his left leg towards Ko. It had sent his little body soaring through the air. "You bastard!" With a war cry, I used every ounce of my strength to run to Katus and punch him square in the cheek. My hand was in even more pain than they were before I punched Katsu. But I wasn't going yo let up, now was the time to nail him. I kept hitting him over and over again, even with the pain in my fist, I kept smashing my fist into his face. He countered with a punch of his own. His fist was hitting me in my ribs, guts, and my face. He was placing these punches fairly well enough to make my whole body feel tense.

"This is it for you!" Katus declared as he brought down his fist. This attack was going to be it for me, I don't think my body would be able to take it. The punch came, it grinded against my cheek, the pain was quick but hard. And with that, I was done, I couldn't stay up anymore. I crashed down to the floor... Katsu stood over me, the sun beaming down from behind him. He raised his fist one last time and slammed it down to my face. The punch rocked my head against the ground.

"...Now, it's finished." My face was numb, my mind was getting all meshed up. Things were getting dark, I couldn't keep going anymore... I just...wanted to lie here, forever. I closed my eyes and basked in the blackness.

...

Masaru stood over Kazuki's body, looking down at his unconscious body.

"I finally did it, this little rivalry ended... But, the result now doesn't matter anymore, I don't feel my Persona anymore, my power is gone. This fight didn't matter anymore..." The young man was furious, he wanted to hit Kazuki again, just so he can vent all his anger. But he knew there was no point in that. The power that took him years to achieve, the conduit to achieve his dream was gone, and so was his only reason to live. He looked up to the sky, now losing himself in thought...

...

I opened my eyes. I found myself on my bed, in the dorm. The sun was hitting my face, there was a cool breeze coming from the window. It must've been spring or maybe autumn with this type of wheater. I noticed someone on the other end of the room, at the door was Fuuka. "Morning, Kazuki-kun," she greeted me with a saddened tone. "Hey, morning..." It was silently awkward, she was staring at the floor, and I was looking at her.

"Kazuki-kun, you're badly beaten in the real world and if you were to take any more damage, you'll certainly die." She stated this with no hint of worry. She was calm. "If you stay down Shizuka and others should get be able to get you out of the tower." "What about you, we still need to save you!" She didn't respond right away, she just looked outside of the window. The breeze hitting her hair. "...Kazuki-kun, I don't want you to save me, I wished you didn't come to save me." She came over to me and sat on the bed.

"The day when we fought the 10th and 11th shadow, I found you and Shizuka-chan passed out on the floor, you were both badly injured. When I tried to call the others to where we were, somebody in a black suit along with Minako-chan. The person in the black suit wasn't human, despite his looks." Black suit... I don't know anyone like that. "When I defended you two, he told me he liked my bravery, so he gave me a choice: allow you two to die and let everyone in SEES, to die or use my life to save all of you." "So, you came here of your own decision?" She nodded. The began to blow a bit harder. "You know Kazuki, even before I started to love you, I admired you so much. I always felt this air of confidence around you that it was intoxicating, and I was jealous of you for it. You were able to be outgoing and cheerful and I was so miserable with my life that it hurt to be around you sometimes... But I wanted to be near you. and" "So, is that why you said you loved me?"

She shook her head no. "No, that was one thing, but it wasn't the only reason. I remember when I saw you getting angry for the first time, it was shocking and it was beyond what I thought you were capable of, but that was only the beginning. When I saw you hurt it was the scariest thing I had witnessed happen to you. And when you told me everything about your past. when I saw you crying. But I always sense this spirt around you that would endure whatever is thrown at you. And when taking that into account and all the other things I said, it finally clicks in my head: you were still much better than me. You felt pain like me, you can be sad, but yet, you were still courageous, strong, and truly kind. This was the initial reason why I fell in love with and said it. But as I spent more time with you, living with you, fighting with you, my love grew bigger and the reason for being with you grew even more; it became to save you from all your suffering as you did for me."

She got up and stood back at the door. She gazed out the window.

"You know, I think my favorite season is Spring. The trees being invigorated after a long cold period of winter, flowers going into bloom, It feels so nice when the cool air hits you. It's just a shame that I won't be able to experience it ever again..."

She opens the door behind her. "Where are you going!?" I got out of bed only to collapse on the floor. "This is goodbye. I wish I could see the Spring with you again but that won't be happening this time. Maybe next time, in another life. I hope you can find happiness without me." She opened the door wide open. There was nothing but light on the other side. I was pathetically lying on the floor while she was walking away. No, damn it, I can't let it end like this, not like this, not with her death!

"Don't go..." "Huh?" "I said, don't go!" I got up with all my strength and I grabbed her hand, rejecting her from leaving.

...

My eyes shot open. The sun above was hitting me with everything it had. Katsu was still which meant that not too much time passed. Which meant that she should still be here. I need to get her attention, I need to tell her what I felt, I need to stop her from getting herself killed.

I pumped my chest and let out the greatest roar of my life. "RRAAAAHHHHHHHH!" My body was shaking with from the pressure that my vocal cords were radiating. When I stopped yelling, my throat was killing me, it felt dry. I was gasping for air desperately, but it wasn't going to matter in a couple of seconds. "I'm not done yet, Fuuka," I yelled out. My voice reached to the sky.

"LET YOU DIE SO I CAN LIVE? FIND HAPPINESS AFTER THE FACT? WHAT THE FUCK IS UP WITH THAT, THE REASON I CAN BE HAPPY IS BECAUSE YOU'RE WITH ME!" I took a second to collect myself. "You said that I was brave for being confident and strong while I was suffering; no, that was all an act, an act to be someone I wasn't! I wanted to be someone that people liked, someone that people wanted to be around. It was because I was so damn lonely and just as miserable watching people talk to each other, laughing with each other, having with each other, and I was jealous! I wanted something like that for a long time; I wanted someone to understand me, I wanted a friend. And I finally did, I found someone else who understood my pain and my isolation: you."

The young lady on the pillar gasped at what he had said. These feeling and revelations from the man she loved was heartbreaking to her.

"When you talked to me, you were shy but sincere. When I did something stupid or outright dangerous, you showed concern over me. When you knew what monstrous acts I was capable of you didn't try to distance yourself away from me, you kept staying by my side. All of these things you did for me, all of them and many more are the reasons why I can say I'm truly happy without wearing a fake smile or using empty words. And it's not just you. It's everyone in SEES, Naoya, Shizuka, and even Ko. You all bring me true happiness. Which is why I'll keep fighting to the bitter end to save you! So please, if you believe in me, tell me, shout in the air what you really want; tell me if you really want to live or die!"

Kazuki had finished his declaration, anxiety in his heart. It could go either way, Yamagishi could say death. But in Yamagishi's case, she was bawling her eyes out, torn by what he had asked her. She was ready to give her own life to protect everyone else, but now she wasn't sure anymore. Her reason for coming her was now put into question.

"I-I..." Her mind conflicted? she had no idea what she wanted to do... Memories, memories suddenly filled her head, showing all of her time with Kazuki, Shizuka, and everyone else in the dorm. The memories were filled with hard times but in them were pretty good times, many she wanted to keep in heart for the rest of her life. With this, her heart started to ache. It ached harder than it had before and she knew why. The memories in her head were the greatest things in her life, but her last set of memories were going to be dying in some way. Then this train of thought turned into a single prediction: she would hurt Kazuki more than any wound would. She didn't realize this, this one simple outcome because she never really knew what it was like to feel like for others to value her life because she didn't know how to value her own life. So in the end, she never knew that her life much value... She was acting and thinking selfishly with her desire: to be useful by using her life that did not have any value in it at all. But now, she realizes that her life is valued by someone; by the man down there fighting desperately to save her, even from her own self. Now, she had a conclusion to all of this...

"I want to live... *Sniff* I WANT TO LIVE!" Her voice reached from the pillar down to Kazuki, who was smiling beyond belief. "All right, since you wanna live, then I'll save you, and then I'm gonna stop screwing around and be honest about everything with you." Kazuki declared as his voice reached her. Her face still having tears stream down her face, she smiled and said, "Okay, I'll be waiting for you."

Kazuki was content with all this, however, that didn't apply to all parties. "Are you done yet?" Katsu Masaru was looking over at Kazuki. The two of them unfinished business. "Katsu, I'm guessing you want to finish this, huh?" "Yeah, something like that.

Katsu began to attack Kazuki without hesitation. "Getting down to the wire, huh." Kazuki was still in bad condition, that hasn't changed. But he wouldn't detur him now, he was going to fight back this time with all his might. He threw a fist at Katsu's face. Katsu gritted his teeth and retaliated with a punch of his own, and then Kazuki returned the favor. Over and over again, the two boys traded blows over and over again, their bodies were at their breaking points but they refused to go down until the other went down. Both of these kids had the determination to see the other on the floor. This seems to have lasted about hours, the sun was setting, but with this place, who knows if its been hours... Now, the two boys stood still for a moment. Their bodies weak and battered from the constant punching. They both had realized they were losing strength from this, and even if they wanted to, they couldn't keep this up forever. So, it came down to one final punch; a punch hard enough to knock the other out. This one moment, a moment that would be nerve-racking to anyone else. But to them, it was a simple but important moment; cause it would decide who's determination, who's goal, and who's existence would be worthy.

" _Kazuki..." "Katsu..."_ Both of them reeled back their fists and put their feet forward. Without a second to waste, the both of them launched their final attacks in synch.

 _"GO DOWN,"_ both of them screamed in their minds. This was it, this was the final for the both of them.

THUMP* Their fist smashed into the others face. The sound of the impacts was ringing in their ears. Kazuki's fist slid right off of Katsu's face and so did Katsu's. They fell to the ground. They were done, this battle was over. The boys lied on the floor, barely awake.

...

"Damn...I can't feel anything," Katsu cursed. "Yeah, me neither." I tried to lift his sore arms. "OW! That really hurts!" Katsu tried as well but met with little success. "Katsu, how you doing over there?" "Shut up." "Wow, rude. I was just asking how you were doing, shesh," I jokingly told him. "Why the hell do you care how I'm doing?" "I don't know, just a bit curious is all." Katsu turned his head to the sky. "Well, for your information, I'm feeling like crap, my body is sore as hell and I'm sure my jaw is about to fall out of place." "Yeah, same." Kazuki laughed out loud but stop immediately because of the pain.

"Hey," Katsu whispered. "What?" "Did you mean all that stuff; you being lonely and all that?" "Yeah, why?" "Were you really?" I found that strange. Of course, I was lonely. "Yeah...I was lonely. All of my life growing up I was treated like an outsider among people my age or by the adults. I was labeled a monster for no reason at all. But the worse part about all of that: they were right. Without me knowing, I had this monster inside me, secretly scaring everyone off away from me and making me an outcast... I hated it all, all of it."

I felt rage in my gut but I couldn't emote it now.

"So Katsu, what do you think? Did I sound pathetic to you?" "..." Katsu didn't let a word out yet, he just let out small. noises until he let out a sigh.

"When I was born, my dad wasn't there.." "Huh?" "...My mother was all alone when she brought me into this world. She was barely twenty-two when she had me. We lived an apartment building she barely could afford, she even had to give up university just to work more than one job. I thought I was being a burden on her being useless and doing nothing so stole things for us. Only for my mother to scold me about it; she said we aren't thieves and that we need to earn it with our own efforts... She was a strong woman, unflinching to speak from her heart, and just downright tough as hell. But under all that, she was the greatest woman to ever exist...

The moon was hovering over us now, shining down on us.

"One day, when these bigger kids in school were talking crap about me and my mother, I snapped. I think broke their noses or something, but that isn't what sticks out to me. The kid had a burn mark on his face after I was done with him. Of course, there was no way for anyone to tell how I was able to do it since I had nothing on me that could make fire, but..." "It was because of your Persona," I guessed. "Yep, of course at the time I didn't know I had one. After all that, my mother had to pay in repercussions for the injuries; nearly emptied her while damn wallet and whatever she had left. She gad to work twice as hard from then on there, and from there, I hated myself for it, for being a burden to her, for being such a nuisance. If my mother hated me for what happened I wouldn't blame her... I couldn't watch her drag herself throught the dirt just so she can suffer to take of me and herself. So one night, I ran from home. I had nothing on me except for my clothes. It was so damn cold out that day. I had to stop somewhere, I was tired. I slept on a bench near a playground. When I laid on that bench I thought I was going to freeze to death on it but I was too tired to care... When I began to wake up it was hot, hotter than winter would allow. I woke up from that heat. I was on the street, blue flames surrounding me and all over the place. There was black ooze on the floor, melting like ice. At the time, I didn't know it, but it was all taking place in the Dark Hour."

The moon above us was creeping into the shadows as if it was following along with the story.

"I followed down where the flames were until they ended at a point, a point around two people." His clenched fist picked up sand. There was a man, blood-drenched on his hands, and the second... A woman who was dead on the floor... She was..." "No," I interrupted him. "You don't need to tell me, I can guess what happened next." Him trying to say his mother must be painful, it's like looking back at it for the first time and reliving the pain all over again.

"The man who did it disappeared the moment he noticed me but I was able to see what his hair looked like, they were the color of my flames. When I got to my mother she was barely alive. I tried to call an ambulance but since it was the Dark Hour her phone wouldn't work, so I tried to take her to the hospital but my body wasn't strong enough to carry here without dragging her. With what little time she had left, she told me to go to an orphanage, and then she told me to be strong no matter what. She tried to say something else to me but she died before she could utter a word. After that night, she was buried back in Tokyo, that's where she grew up. I was left alone, in an orphanage with nothing but desire; the desire to find and kill the man who murdered my mother... A few months later, I was given this chance when someone came to the orphanage and adopted me and all the other children. A year later, when I was finally taken into this organization, I was finally able to make my desires a reality."

There was a pause after that.

"However, I knew as a kid that if I found this man, he would probably kill me. I was able to gauge by comparing the intensity of our flames. By comparison, mine was weaker. That's when I took on what my mother said to me; I needed more power to be able to destroy that man, and so I can avenge my mother...even if she hated me, I would get revenge for her as a way to pay for all the trouble I caused for. So I fought countless battles, destroying powerful demons in this world. I was becoming more and more stronger as my victories lined up. That was until I met you. When we first fought I could've killed you without any problems, however, that changes when you fought me the second time. You could've killed me at that time. It was frustrating when I knew that. How could someone like you, who had just barely dipped his toes in fighting throw me around like a rag doll... It pissed me off so badly when I had to run away. Then when I studied you for a couple of months, I found my answer." "Shadow-mog." "Yeah. Soon after I got it, I thought I was ready to take you on... I think you can guess the rest."

Living a life of misery then revenge, that's why he was obsessed to beat me, he wanted to prove he was strong enough to face down his mothers killer. His story about all the time and emotion about how he felt for his mother made me jealous.

"I'm jealous of you Katsu." "Why...?" "Because you were able to remember your time with your mother, I can't. I was only three when mine died, so I don't remember anything..." There was a moment of silence between the both of us. The air was blowing quietly around us.

"Kazuki, how do you go on, knowing that something killed the person you loved, how do you go on with that pain...?" A question I never thought of, a question that I never wanted to think about. "I always wondered what happened to my mother, what killed here, how she happened to her. But, there was nothing to lead me to the truth, so I accepted how it was..." "Weren't you lonely, nobody being there for you?" "Well... of course, I was. Whenever I used to play at the park I was jealous when kids used to get picked up by their parents after and during sunset... However, I always had someone else there for me, a great person. It was my cousin, he would always pick me up after sunset, always. He was the only one that was by my side for those harsh ten years..."

Naoya was always there, no matter what. So maybe when I said I was lonely I was exaggerating. When it was only me and him...that loneliness would always wash away. Even when I acted out sometimes, he still loved me...

"Katsu, you might think your mom hated you, but I would bet she still loved you... I mean...why would she-" *Boom* A loud explosion went off above us. That was near Fuuka. "Oh crap, Fuuka!" I wanted to get up but my body couldn't do that right now. "Fuuka!"

...

The hooded man had divided the explosion attack. He barely did it had connected somewhat. "Alright, what the hell is happening? Who's there?" Someone had landed on the pillar from above. They were wearing a dark blue button-down shirt. Its sleeves were rolled up. Jet black jeans too. The most standout detail was them wearing a Kabuki mask.

"Okay, okay, I see your all dressed up for Halloween, but should I be scared!" H threw something at the masked man, but he was able to deflect it. "...Whoa, okay then... Black Viper!" A black orb was thrown at the masked man, but he was able to split it into halves.

"Okay, what the shit? How the hell did you do tha-" H was pushed back off the pillar and through several other ones. During that, an explosion went off as the Masked man snapped his fingers...

"Did I get him." His voice was mature and toneless, but yet, familiar..." "Huh...? Yes, but..." I still sensed that H was still conscious and in fact was about to do a counter-attack. "He's going to attack, you need to counter it!" "All right then, Persona!" He summoned a Persona from himself. It was a person with a face of a shield. "Marduk," the masked man called it. The shield blocked the incoming attack, the black orbs kept bashing against it. "Reflect it." He commanded the Persona to use the shield to bounce one of the orbs back. From my with Lucia, M's was trying to bounce it back but there was a fire behind it. It was to boost the impact. The orb was able to tear through M's defenses and make impact. "Exploded!" Another explosion went off. I heard the masked man breath out. "Oi, we need to go now before he's able to catch up." "Before I catch up? I think you're a bit too late there, pal." The hooded man was floating over to us. "Now, I don't know who you are, and really I don't care. All that matter is what round two brings us. And I can guarantee that it won't be as easy as you want it to be." He was right, he was letting out a more powerful presence. This fight was probably going to be as rough as Kazuki's...


End file.
